If you’ve been following our channel for a while now, then you’ll probably agree
that we’re just crazy about mulch.
Because, inspired by the nature around us, and encouraged by those who came before us,
for the past few years, we’ve been covering all of our garden beds with thick layers of
organic plant matter.
Now, in previous videos, we’ve talked about the benefits of mulch, and the various experiments
that we’ve attempted, so we’ve covered the who, what, why, and how pretty extensively.
But one question that we still receive fairly frequently is where.
As in, where does all of our mulch come from?
So in this video, we’d like to quickly look at some of the mulches that we’ve used and
let you know where we’ve picked them up - for free.
First of all, we might as well start off with hay, because we use it by far the most.
It’s the type of mulch that Ruth Stout recommended and it’s incredibly plentiful in our area.
You see, we live in farm country, which means that many of our neighbors grow and harvest
fresh hay to feed their animals.
So throughout the year, there’s often many people selling their excess for an affordable price.
Because if any of that hay gets wet, or simply sits around too long, it becomes less desirable
as animal feed.
But that’s the beautiful thing about our garden, because it doesn’t care about freshness.
In fact, some would even say that the older the better.
And luckily we’ve found that many farmers will happily give their spoiled hay away for
free, just to get rid of it.
For example, our first source of free hay was someone who’s leaky barn roof had ruined
a loft-full of bales.
Next we found a nearby farmer in an online classified ad who was trying to get rid of
some that was left in the field too long.
We’ve even been hooked up with spoiled hay after asking around at the local general store.
But our most convenient connection comes from one of our closest neighbours who often has
a pile of old loose hay left over by the time their new harvest is ready.
So in order to make room for the fresh bales, they call us over to clean out their barn.
It’s a wonderful arrangement, because they get rid of their unusable waste, and we get
a garden full of free mulch that was cut from a field right down the road.
But not everybody lives in farm country, so let’s take a look at another common mulching
material: Woodchips.
Our first load of woodchips came from another online classified ad, where a nearby homeowner
was trying to cleanup the results of a couple trees that he had cut down.
So we got a trailerfull of chips for free, just by going to pick them up.
But more recently, Paula and I happened to be driving down the road when we noticed a
local tree service working in one of our neighbours front yards.
So we pulled over, and after a quick chat, the business owner agreed to dump any future
woodchips next to our garden, rather than in the landfill.
Since then, we’ve come home to several of these piles free of charge.
So it pays to ask around.
Now, this may seem like another option only available to those in farm country, but from
what we’ve read, tree services are even more eager to find dumping sites in cities,
due to the extra cost of disposal.
For example, there’re now services that connect those who have woodchips with those
who want them.
But woodchips aren’t the only type of mulch that grows on trees, because another excellent
source is fallen leaves.
And we’ve used these quite a bit as well.
Every fall when our family members rake their yards, we typically collect a pretty impressive
amount of free mulch.
Because once again, dumping here is cheaper than dumping in the landfill.
And all we have to give in return is some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers the following summer.
Not bad.
And don’t forget, pine needles make good mulch too, so don’t be afraid to rake some
of them up as well.
Because despite their reputation, as long as you’re not tilling them into the soil,
they shouldn’t cause any issues with acidity.
But speaking of free mulch that comes straight from your own yard, another one of our favorites,
is lawn clippings.
You see, we use a small lawnmower in and around our garden, so once a week during the summer,
we generate several bags of perfectly good mulching material right on site.
At the moment, we’re using it to kill some sod while expanding part of our growing area,
but we’ve also used it for hilling our no-dig potatoes and any other touch ups during the season.
Ok, but what if you need more material than your lawn can supply?
Well another source of unexpected free garden mulch is actually your kitchen.
We’ve not yet tried this method on a large scale ourselves, but Ruth Stout suggested
that rather than placing plant-based kitchen scraps in the compost, you should just dump
them directly on your garden instead.
And while that may seem kind of whacky at first, it does actually make a lot of sense.
I mean, it’s all just plant matter after-all, and many people already compost in place anyway,
by burying their food scraps in the garden soil, so this is really just one less step.
Now, I can see many different reasons why people may not want to do this, like the smell,
the look, and the possibility of attracting hungry critters.
But if you stick to green veggies rather than sugary fruit, and chop them up a bit to make
them blend in, I still think this option has some potential.
Maybe we’ll give it a serious try next year and let you know how it goes.
But finally, don’t forget that your most local source of garden mulch is actually your
garden itself.
Because as far as we’re concerned, the only plant matter that should ever leave the garden,
are those destined for your table.
Everything else should be returned to the soil.
That’s why every year, once our garden has produced it’s final harvest, we chop and
drop any remaining stems, leaves and vines.
Heck, during the summer, if we happen to pull out any weeds, we tend to just drop them in
place too.
As long as they’re not covered in seeds or overly invasive.
Because all of these plants were built from the nutrients in your soil, so why drag them away?
By next spring they’ll have already begun to decompose and soon enough they may be reincarnated
as a tomato.
So, overall, our best advice when looking for free mulch is to ask around, remain flexible,
and keep an open mind.
Because at the end of the day, the best mulch is the mulch you have access to.
The only caveat is that no matter what kind of mulching material you use, it’s always
important to ensure that it is free from any chemicals, pesticides or anything else that
might negatively impact the growth of your plants or the healthiness of your food.
For example, these days a lot of hay is sprayed preservatives, and store bought woodchips
are often dyed.
So it’s important to ask questions and do your research.
But otherwise, I say get out there and look around, because there’s potential mulch
everywhere.
But in the meantime, thanks for watching, and we’ll see you soon.