Prepping your garden beds for summer with mulch

The increased sunlight and decreased rainfall of summer usually means more work for gardeners.Weeds love that extra sunshine, and careful waterings take up more of your time. The tried-and-true solution for this, of course, is mulch.

​The increased sunlight and decreased rainfall of summer usually means more work for gardeners.Weeds love that extra sunshine, and careful waterings take up more of your time. The tried-and-true solution for this, of course, is mulch.
A well placed layer of organic mulch will suppress weeds by cutting them off from sunlight, help your beds stay cool, and increase the retention of moisture. In turn, you’ll spend less time (and money)watering your beds, and less time pulling weeds.

Organic bark mulch offers some substantial benefits over other forms of mulch. The natural herbicides of tree bark are still present in bark mulch. Additionally, the bark slowly decomposes, nourishing the soil (wood chips can do the opposite, leeching nitrogen from the soil to decompose). This means you may have to bark mulch as often as 1-2 times per year. The best times are just before the harshest conditions your plants will face each year, so late fall and late spring.

Before you mulch
Remove weeds: a 1-4” layer of organic bark mulch will make it harder for weeds to emerge, but it won’t help against existing weeds. Eradicate your garden beds of weeds completely. Ideally, you would do this the day before, or the day of, spreading your mulch.

Address the soil: Obviously, you won’t be able to access the soil so easily once you mulch it. So make sure that you check and adjust the pH (if applicable). Then, apply any fertilizer that’s needed, like topsoil, compost, or another organic fertilizer. Finally, make sure your soil has the proper consistency and drainage for your plants needs.

Applying mulch
Order enough for a 1-4” layer of mulch on your beds. When spreading the mulch, don’t mulch right up to the base of your plants. Leave a 4-6” space around them, as the bark can cause plants to rot if piled up against them.

Gardeners and landscapers in the Snohomish and Monroe area can find top soil, bark mulch, compost ,gravel, sand, and rock at the Waeco stockyard next to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. We currently stock three different beauty barks, which are available in bulk.