Martie,

One of the options put forthe by several very talented regulars was the newspaper mulch idea. I have yet to try it, mind you, but it sure sounds appealing. You weed the bed, and you soak several layers of newspaper and they lay them over the bed. On top of that you use whatever mulch you generally prefer, the idea is you suffocate the weeds and don't require nearly as much mulch. This is something I need to do on a newish bed that runs along the "pond" (read: muckhole) where more rocks and more soil are required to bring the level of the bed up to the level of the lawn. Check back with me in September, OK? ;)

We use "daHk baHk", but I have heard that you can use bagged grass clippngs very effectively, too, and that they make a very attractive mulch. I am unsure as to how thickly you should layer them and whether or not you ought to let them dry a bit before applying them.

I've also been quite attentive to establishing groundcover plantings. This takes time (the ones I really like are rather slow to establish themselves), but over time it really does minimize the necessity to mulch. This is also the approach I'm taking to eradicate the dreadful black plastic edging we installed as a stop-gap measure several years ago.

It ain't easy, is it?

We used large amounts of mulch, last year and this year in beginning new beds etc. We used cardboard under our mulch and it is true it can cut down on the amount you have to use. We called around and found a few sources where they didn't mind if we picked up large amounts of cardboard. When we just are doing a little at a time we get boxes at the liquor store and cut and flatten them. Water them over and cover with a thin layer of mulch. We don't weed first, but simply run the mower over the area as short as possible and cardboard right over it.

If you don't want to use mulch, rocks from around the yard, collected over the cardboard? Take some of your pots from another area and gather them on top of the cardboard. Grass clippings would work on top of it. None of these options sound too attractive..lol...but you did say creative. [g]

Maybe you could cardboard the back of the bed and place rocks on it to hold it in place and water it down and then put a line of pots along the front area to camoflauge it and just use cardboard/with a thin layer of mulch along the front edge with the pots on top of it and you won't notice it so much? It would hold you until next year if you were planning on planting it or mulching it then.

I use shredded leaves as a mulch on top of the cardboard and inside my raised beds a lot. But you have to have a good supply left over from last fall and that is hard to come by this late in the season.

Sorry, that was all I could come up with.
:-)

You could drive down to the shore and get seaweed, but the gas would probably cost as much as buying mulch. Plus, it's not always "in stock" at this time of year.

Most of the tree companies in my town will drop off a truckload of chips at the curb, if they happen to be removing a tree in the neighborhood. It's pretty coarse stuff, but there are usually leaves included, which I like.

The local coffee shop stores their grounds in 5 gallon buckets, I've been given permission to haul them away a couple of times - I had to return the buckets, of course. The main downside to coffee grounds is that there are paper filters mixed in.

Even if you use newspaper, you have to put a fairly thick layer of mulch on top or it will show through - unless your ground is fabulously even and flat. I put the paper down without wetting it, it's easier to handle that way, though you have to put a few rocks or something on the corners if it's at all windy. Old cardboard works too, and since it's brown, it doesn't show quite as much if the mulch moves around.

We've also talked about sawdust on this forum in the past. I understand that it takes a lot of nitrogen from the soil because it decomposes so quickly, and it's almost impossible to be sure that there isn't sawdust from pressure treated wood mixed in, so you really need to be careful with it.

How about aged manure? My parents used to live in northern CT and that's what they used. I've always had too many weed seeds in it when I've used it, but I assume that that was because it was never aged fully. I guess a little corn gluten would take care of that problem, anyway.

Paper, cardboard or (my favorite) shredded leaves makes a good base mulch. Throw some bahk mulch ovah it and you're in good shape for less cabbage. Real frugal N.E. thing to do, no?

Coffee grounds are a great soil amendment, mild fertilizer, or compost ingredient- but as a mulch it has problems. When put at a reasonable thickness (as is necessary for a good mulch), it may dry out and repel water. I don't mind coffee filters- they compost too. Starbucks leaves grounds in old coffee poly-bags for free (no filters). I pick up a few bags a day in gardening season.

Hmm, Pablo, I've never noticed coffee repelling water, I'll have to look more closely at the areas where I've used it as mulch. I suppose that if it's kept away from the bases of the plants, the water will just soak in more at the base, where you want it anyway. I mean, where's the rain going to go, unless you're on a slope? The same (water repelling) can certainly be said for cardboard, and it's an interesting point to think about.

You are right. My flower beds are sort of humped up a bit, so that dry coffee will cause a net loss of water. Cardboard wets easier, and if it's under a little bark mulch- water soaks in easy with just about anything under it. You know how a hard rain sometimes washes off, but a steady slow rain sinks in? A little bark mulch can ease the absorbtion of water into paper, cardboard, or coffee (the coffee composts in place pretty quick under mulch, or as a top dressing, I find. I use it like crazy :)

You do also need more than just "barely covered" with bark mulch on paper, leaves, etc or it'll wash aside or get blown off in spots in November.

Here in West Hartford you (town residents only) can get up to 6 cu yd of leaf compost from the town for only the delivery fee, or you can go to the town transfer station (you can dump leaves, brush, cement, etc) and fill your own buckets with the compost. I've used it in a number of places to help with the rocky soil and a good layer also acted as a weed suppressant. Check with your town public works department and ask if they have a similar program. I just piled it on 4 inches thick....

Pros and cons to all the options. With my VERY limited budget, for some beds I've resorted to newspaper covered with grass clippings (chemical free) that I get from my neighbors (who are all TOO happy to have me haul them away since the town only does it 4 times a year).

Thanks for all the great options. Son works as pizza delivery guy for a company that is a sister to major coffee franchise place. He brought home about 6" worth of large unfolded pizza boxes and about 50# of coffee grounds. Coffee grounds will go under the cardboard and we'll figure something out to put on top of it for the time being. More grounds coming today and since coffee place pays a tipping fee to get rid of them, we can have as much as we want.

Did check with my town but they use all good chopped up stuff on road islands/town property. Kinda proud of that. Also checked with local tree services but they bring it to major composting company whose materials are top-notch but expensive.

This'll work for now. Thanks!

Martie

Oh yeah - and in case no one has thought of it yet, BJ's (the wholesale club) is an excellent source of free cardboard. You don't need a club membership to remove the cardboard boxes either. Typically - there is a LARGE bin (or 3) of boxes right near the front entrance. Just go in and take what you want. Sometimes the clerk wants a peek to make sure that nothing is in the boxes!

Best wishes