Check and see if your city/county has a free mulch program. Galveston will give you mulch free, you just have to load it, and pick out the trash but the price is right & it is good exercise. Where my sister lives they will DELIVER it free for you. You might call your county extension agent & see if they know also.
Good luck!
And thanks for the laugh, I can just see your hubby machine gunning everyone.
Tally HO!

Cedar is supposed to be bug resistant too, sorry I can't provide any experience with that. Maybe some newspaper layers to hold the weeds down and a thin layer of cocoa husks (I never heard anything about them attracting termites). Could be just as pricey as the eucalyptus though.

Pam

Gravel works just fine up against the foundation. A lawn mower or weed eater will kick it around, though

Or crushed stone such as granite. Could also try small flat fieldstone.

I use free wood chips by tree trimmers. I'm not all that worried about termites as long as it's at least 4 inches below the foundation slab slit. If anything, I'd just put down beneficial nematodes around there for biological pest control.

Be careful about using stone since it will make the planting area a lot hotter for your plants. Just don't put the mulch right against the house. It should be at least three to four inches below the top of the foundation, but best kept away from the foundation altogether. I would go for a shredded wood mulch like cedar or cypress.

Well, My sister owns a termite pest control business and she and her husband never said anything about keeping them away from the foundation at all. Just as long as it is 3-4 inches below the top of the foundation so i would say those concerns are probably overblown. A simple application of beneficial nematodes will help keep them under control.

The dirt line is four inches below the foundation already...it was required when we obtained the FHA loan for the house eight years ago (oh no! I'm getting old!). Thanks for the advice...think I might go with a light covering of cedar or euclyptus.

Can someone clue me in on what kind of nematode and where I can get them? This is an old house and I need all the help I can get. Instructions would be good, too. This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing (but I do know what nematodes are....)

Hi,

You can order them at Hydro-Garden... Click on the link..

You may not notice anything happening for the most part but one biggest difference is that we seem to have a lot less ants. They would try and build ant mounds but never could build a big one as neighors would have. I'd say it works good enough!

Here is a link that might be useful: beneficial nematodes.