Book 29, Question 81
What can you use as mulch?
Good mulches include straw, shredded leaves, wood chips, bark, and dried grass clippings in thin layers.
Cardboard and newspaper can be put under mulch to smother weeds. Choose clean materials without weed seeds. Avoid using thick layers of fresh grass, which can get slimy. Different mulches suit different beds: straw for vegetables, bark for shrubs.
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Quick answers
What can you use as mulch?
Good organic amendments for garden soils include wood byproducts such as sawdust and bark mulch, cured manure, grass or wheat straw, and compost.
Use a few layers of newspaper or cardboard and cover with mulch to discourage areas of unwanted grass or weeds.
Sources: Oregon State University, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
More fun facts
- Newspaper covered with mulch is an effective, low-cost weed barrier, but it will not smother tough perennial weeds, such as quackgrass, field bindweed and dandelions.
Sources: Oregon State University