Mulch is a hugely beneficial element in any garden, helping to manage soil temperature and moisture and suppressing weeds. But it can add up cost-wise, especially if you have a larger area to cover. Luckily, a homesteader shared a useful tip for finding cheap and effective mulch.
The scoop
PawPaw Ridge (@pawpawridge) on Instagram shared a video with his surprisingly simple method for acquiring mulch. He recommended two methods, the first being contacting arborists, aka people who cut and trim trees, to have them dump their mulch at your yard for free, rather than having to pay for it.
The other option is enrolling in a program such as ChipDrop, which arranges for free mulch to be delivered to your home. It also works with arborists to help them find free or cheap drop sites for wood chips and logs.
PawPaw Ridge did note that the mulch he's using is not treated, so while great for gardens, it shouldn't go near your house because of the risk of termites.
How it's working
A home gardener can save a lot of money with these mulching hacks. Plus, utilizing pre-existing material and putting it back into the land saves it from going to a landfill or dump site and prevents transportation pollution. Mulching has a bunch of benefits for you and your garden, too, including adding nutrients to soil.
Gardening also saves money on produce and reduces the need for mass-produced and farmed food to be shipped around the world, which adds to pollution from dirty energy sources. Additionally, you know exactly where your food came from — and it's truly organic.
What people are saying
People in the comments loved the mulch recommendations and other helpful tips on how and when to plant in your mulched garden.
"That was so educational," one person wrote. "I've been nervous sourcing chips for free bc of random thoughts like disease etc. I did not know untreated mulch would attract termites wow so glad I watched this."
Another said: "I signed up too! Thank you so much!"
Someone else had a tip about using Chip Drop, writing: "Fyi about chip drop. If you're in a residential area get a group together who need mulch to share it. They give an insane amount of it. At least in my area."
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