The 3 Biggest Mistakes Gardeners Make Mulching Flowerbeds - And How To Avoid Them

<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Simple Garden Life Podcast, a program dedicated
<v Speaker 1>to keeping the yard of gardening simple, fun and always rewarding.
<v Speaker 1>Now Here are your hosts, Jim and Marycompetti.
<v Speaker 2>Hello and welcome everybody. You are listening to the Simple
<v Speaker 2>Garden Life Podcast. I am your host, Jim Competty, along
<v Speaker 2>with my wife Mary Mary. Good afternoon here as we
<v Speaker 2>handle our third podcast of the season.
<v Speaker 3>We're excited to keep going.
<v Speaker 2>We are, we are. Today's topic is going to be
<v Speaker 2>a great one. We'll get to that in a second.
<v Speaker 2>It has to do with weeds and multing and flowerbeds
<v Speaker 2>and everybody's interested in. We have some great tips today
<v Speaker 2>and some big things to avoid. But before we do that,
<v Speaker 2>introduce ourselves. We have our farm here just in Quaker City, Ohio,
<v Speaker 2>just about an hour and a half east of Columbus.
<v Speaker 2>We've had our podcast going now for gosh, can't believe
<v Speaker 2>this five years. That's crazy, Hi, this is kind of crazy.
<v Speaker 2>You can always email us at the farm at Owgarden
<v Speaker 2>dot com. You can also check out all of our
<v Speaker 2>website and farm at owgarden dot com, and of course,
<v Speaker 2>our podcast is listed on this Simplegardenlife dot com website
<v Speaker 2>that we do all of a lot of our garden
<v Speaker 2>advice and everything, but boy, the podcast is really given
<v Speaker 2>us a chance to connect to so many more people.
<v Speaker 2>We get so many emails, and we really really do
<v Speaker 2>enjoy it. And this topic today Mary the three biggest
<v Speaker 2>mistakes gardeners make when mulching flowerbeds and how to avoid them,
<v Speaker 2>not just to avoid them, but avoid them for less weeds,
<v Speaker 2>less work, and healthier plants. And they really do make
<v Speaker 2>a big difference.
<v Speaker 3>Right with the sun coming out last week and being
<v Speaker 3>the eighties here, everybody's jumping to the gun to get
<v Speaker 3>their flowerbeds mulched.
<v Speaker 2>That's right. Well, you know, we talk about this all
<v Speaker 2>the time when it comes to healthy plants and weed
<v Speaker 2>free flowerbeds. There's one answer, and it's mulch. It's a
<v Speaker 2>good layer of mulch. But there's so many things that
<v Speaker 2>people do that really put them behind when it comes
<v Speaker 2>to multi They use a lot of effort, they do
<v Speaker 2>a lot of hard work, but it actually at the
<v Speaker 2>end of the day sometimes creates more weeds.
<v Speaker 3>Right, Actually putting down that mulch can actually hurt your
<v Speaker 3>flowerbeds instead of help if you don't do it the
<v Speaker 3>right way and with the right material, and.
<v Speaker 2>It's not just weeds. Mult helps to regulate the soil temperature.
<v Speaker 2>It keeps the roots of plants from getting too warm
<v Speaker 2>or too cold, and it helps retain moisture for those plants,
<v Speaker 2>which can be huge, keeping them hydrated through droughts, and
<v Speaker 2>also shed some extra water sometimes when there's a little
<v Speaker 2>bit too much rain coming. But let's face it, I mean,
<v Speaker 2>there's one reason that most people put down mulch.
<v Speaker 3>That's to stop weeds from growing.
<v Speaker 2>That's right, And unfortunately a lot of people go through
<v Speaker 2>that expense and the effort of moulting their beds every
<v Speaker 2>year and hopes to finally put it into their weeding chores,
<v Speaker 2>and that mulching process only helps their weed problems intensify
<v Speaker 2>and multiply.
<v Speaker 3>Right, Sometimes it looks beautiful for the first couple of
<v Speaker 3>weeks and maybe even the month, but come month two
<v Speaker 3>and three, they're putting more effort into those flower beds
<v Speaker 3>and then necessary.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, when we hold our garden classes here, when we
<v Speaker 2>speak around this is always a big topic for us
<v Speaker 2>and people want to know. So how do I avoid
<v Speaker 2>all of that hard work, all the expense and that
<v Speaker 2>heartache of mulching in two weeks later, watching thousands of
<v Speaker 2>more weeds come up, and you're like, what would I
<v Speaker 2>do wrong? You know, I'm not going to spend this
<v Speaker 2>money anymore. A lot of times people get to that
<v Speaker 2>point where they think, well, I'm going to try a
<v Speaker 2>landskip fabric. In fact, we have another podcast coming up
<v Speaker 2>in a few weeks about why you don't want to
<v Speaker 2>use landscape fabrics. So that's not the answer. The real
<v Speaker 2>answer is mulch. And I think I don't know about you,
<v Speaker 2>but I think we just get right into it. Number one.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, these are all three big valid points. But
<v Speaker 2>when you're talking about avoiding the three most common multi mistakes,
<v Speaker 2>I think one, Mary, I mean, it's using the wrong.
<v Speaker 3>Mulch, right. It plays a huge role in the fertility
<v Speaker 3>of your soil by picking out the right materials.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean when multing annuals, perennials, even shrubs, bushes, trees,
<v Speaker 2>even when you're in your garden. It's really a best
<v Speaker 2>to avoid all of these products that people think are
<v Speaker 2>going to be long term because they don't help your soil.
<v Speaker 2>They can hurt your plants. And what are we talking about.
<v Speaker 3>Number one is stone or pebbles, or rocks.
<v Speaker 2>Stone and synthetic rubber. You know there's a lot of
<v Speaker 2>synthetic mulches out right now. Yes they last, and yes
<v Speaker 2>stone can last too, but there's a lot of downfalls
<v Speaker 2>we'll get into and there's no nutrients in those none whatsoever.
<v Speaker 2>And so when you put stone down or you put
<v Speaker 2>that rubber down, a lot times people put the fabric
<v Speaker 2>underneath it. There's your soil is never going to get
<v Speaker 2>fed again unless it's through a fertilizer, and that's it.
<v Speaker 3>And they can actually harm your plants than rather doing
<v Speaker 3>them good.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you talk about stone, let's cover that first. I mean,
<v Speaker 2>mini gardeners like it because it's permanent. We do use
<v Speaker 2>It's kind of funny. We have some beds with stones
<v Speaker 2>for like ornamental grass areas, things that are very durable,
<v Speaker 2>but when it comes to our perennials and high powered
<v Speaker 2>plants and all of that, we just don't do it.
<v Speaker 2>Why because stone it's not just permanent, it won't break down,
<v Speaker 2>but it's also a bad choice because of how much
<v Speaker 2>heat it can draw in For most perennial plants in
<v Speaker 2>the summer.
<v Speaker 3>Right, if just touch that stone in the midsummer, went's
<v Speaker 3>super hot out and you can tell that the stone
<v Speaker 3>produces heat and that heat is going to go to
<v Speaker 3>the soil below it.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that can help a little bit in early spring
<v Speaker 2>and late fall and keep your plants warm, but the
<v Speaker 2>rest of the time it's working against you. And on
<v Speaker 2>top of it, it can also help dry out the
<v Speaker 2>soil that much quicker because those stones get hot and
<v Speaker 2>they hold that heat. So when it heats up quickly,
<v Speaker 2>sun beats down on it, and as it does, it
<v Speaker 2>heats that soil temperature sometimes so much that not dries
<v Speaker 2>it out, but it hurts the roots of the plants.
<v Speaker 2>And then in addition, it doesn't break down. So the
<v Speaker 2>soil we've talked about this, there are zero nutrients. I mean,
<v Speaker 2>I guess if you garden for one point two million
<v Speaker 2>years and that's still and broke down, you'd get a
<v Speaker 2>little calcium and other things. But let's face it's not
<v Speaker 2>going to happen in our lifetime. So if that's not
<v Speaker 2>the answer, Mary, what's what's the next question? Obviously, the
<v Speaker 2>best mult for stopping weeds? What is the best mulch?
<v Speaker 2>And so for us, you know we have one one
<v Speaker 2>go to multi more than anything else, and that's hardwood
<v Speaker 2>shredded mulch.
<v Speaker 3>Yes, and luckily we live close to a saw mill
<v Speaker 3>that we can get it in bulk. But it is
<v Speaker 3>it's the hardwood. The shredded hardwood mulch is the best
<v Speaker 3>to use in your flowerbeds.
<v Speaker 2>But not all hardwood mults are the same. So Mary said,
<v Speaker 2>a great question. Now we have and if you live
<v Speaker 2>near sawmills that have hardwoods, this is a great way
<v Speaker 2>to save big on your budget. But even if you're
<v Speaker 2>buying bag mulch, that's fine. But there's a couple of
<v Speaker 2>things you want to avoid. You know, I used to,
<v Speaker 2>way back in the day have a landscape business on
<v Speaker 2>the side. For many many years, peop would always say,
<v Speaker 2>I want that real fine multch that it almost looks
<v Speaker 2>like dirt. You plant that and you put that in
<v Speaker 2>your beds and you're going to have hundreds and thousands
<v Speaker 2>of weeds, right.
<v Speaker 3>You know, that's been the big trend here the last
<v Speaker 3>ten years, is you know that very finely triple shredded,
<v Speaker 3>and a lot of times the black mult is what
<v Speaker 3>a lot of people buy. And it looks gorgeous, it
<v Speaker 3>looks pretty, but that is not the best answer if
<v Speaker 3>you want to keep your work down and your weeds less.
<v Speaker 2>No, not only is it expensive, it breaks down super
<v Speaker 2>quickly and soil and now that's great for your soil.
<v Speaker 2>It's going to add some some nutrients pretty quickly. But
<v Speaker 2>you're going to be putting that on two to three
<v Speaker 2>times a year if you really want to try to
<v Speaker 2>get it to work. And really, when it's triple shredded
<v Speaker 2>or what they call super pine, it's already in a
<v Speaker 2>soil consistency. Well, when we say soil consistency, what happens
<v Speaker 2>to that? I mean it's going to germinate seeds, not
<v Speaker 2>just seeds in your garden, but weed seeds that blow in,
<v Speaker 2>and that's really where it becomes the biggest problem. But
<v Speaker 2>shredded hardwood bark is the way to go. It gives
<v Speaker 2>the most nutrients as plants break down. But we like
<v Speaker 2>a single shred it's a little but boy, it forms
<v Speaker 2>that really nice thick matt in there and it comes.
<v Speaker 2>It just makes such a difference as to other mulches.
<v Speaker 3>And it makes it nearly impossible for weed seas to
<v Speaker 3>penetrate through the different layers of the mulch, versus a
<v Speaker 3>finally shredded where it could go right straight down to
<v Speaker 3>the soil.
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, and those weed seeds find their home. So let's
<v Speaker 2>talk about some other ones. Let's cover it. You can
<v Speaker 2>use some other mulches. Pine bark and shredded pine mulches
<v Speaker 2>are okay to use. The only issue with them is
<v Speaker 2>they don't add the same levels that a hard wood
<v Speaker 2>mulch will. You know, it's not going to break down
<v Speaker 2>and give those ingredients of everything that's really really good.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, And one thing we want to mention is when
<v Speaker 3>you're getting especially if we go to a sawmill and
<v Speaker 3>you're getting the hardwood mulch, there are certain trees that
<v Speaker 3>should not be used in your flower beds for best results.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. My first question is are there buckeye or walnut
<v Speaker 2>trees in our area because they can actually harm plants.
<v Speaker 2>So great, great calumary to talk about that. You know,
<v Speaker 2>you're looking for maples and white oaks and things like that,
<v Speaker 2>and they just stay away from the harmful trees like
<v Speaker 2>we talk about. But overall, when you buy it in
<v Speaker 2>the store, it's gonna it's gonna be those good mulches.
<v Speaker 2>So we talked about pine bark and like I said,
<v Speaker 2>they're usable. One one missed one mystique about pine bark,
<v Speaker 2>and everybody's like, well, it's gonna make your soil acidic
<v Speaker 2>pine bark when it's older, and pine needles once they're red,
<v Speaker 2>they have very little acidity. People don't realize that, so
<v Speaker 2>you can use them. It's the real problem with them
<v Speaker 2>is they don't grip together fine enough to really make
<v Speaker 2>a weed barrier, and they don't add much nutrient levels
<v Speaker 2>at all to your soil as they break down. So
<v Speaker 2>those those are good My least favorite. Do you want
<v Speaker 2>to say it?
<v Speaker 3>Cres?
<v Speaker 2>Oh, yeah, it's just avoid it. First of all, it's
<v Speaker 2>not a good mulch. It doesn't break down. It tangles
<v Speaker 2>to the point where nothing can get through it, not water,
<v Speaker 2>not nutrients. It's just not good. It's that that orangish
<v Speaker 2>cypress collar and it turns to that really really ugly bround.
<v Speaker 2>Can you tell I don't like it. I mean, it's
<v Speaker 2>just it's just not a good mult to use it.
<v Speaker 2>If we if we leave here anything today, I just
<v Speaker 2>have to tell you hardwood is the absolute best option
<v Speaker 2>for flower beds. And you know, we'll talk about later
<v Speaker 2>it's how you also put it on. But hardwood mulch.
<v Speaker 3>Is the way to go that's either single perfectly single shred,
<v Speaker 3>but also double shredded would be okay as well.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you can use double shred. I think if you
<v Speaker 2>use double shredded, you've got to put a little bit thicker, thicker.
<v Speaker 2>Level one or what some people do. I love this
<v Speaker 2>is use a single shred for your first four to
<v Speaker 2>five inches and then put that double shred on if
<v Speaker 2>you like that little bit better, softer, softer look. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>but don't go too far with that. Some people say, well,
<v Speaker 2>why can't I do that? And then put down a
<v Speaker 2>half an inch or an inch of the ultrafying Because
<v Speaker 2>Mary said it. When you put ultrafying down, you're putting
<v Speaker 2>soil right there, and it's gonna wiggle down between that mulch,
<v Speaker 2>and it's gonna have the weed seeds Germany without ever
<v Speaker 2>touching the real soil. It's gonna go right in your
<v Speaker 2>mulch level and then you're really gonna be frustrated. So
<v Speaker 2>that's common mistake Number one. We have two more big ones.
<v Speaker 2>We're going to take a break and we'll be back
<v Speaker 2>right after this to talk about number two and number three.
<v Speaker 2>So that this year, when you mulch, you're multiing to
<v Speaker 2>stop those weeds for good and keep your plants healthy.
<v Speaker 2>And we are back talking about the biggest multi mistakes made.
<v Speaker 2>And you know number one was the type of mulch,
<v Speaker 2>But number two is, boy, if you were trying to
<v Speaker 2>get rid of weeds, don't make that mistake. So many
<v Speaker 2>gardeners do. They think, well, I'm gonna go out and
<v Speaker 2>put three to five inches and mulch down right over
<v Speaker 2>top of those weeds. And that's the end. And what
<v Speaker 2>does that cause Mary?
<v Speaker 3>More weeds, more bigger and stronger weeds. Actually, yeah, it's a.
<v Speaker 2>Plain simple fact. If you're not going to eliminate those
<v Speaker 2>beads or those weeds excuse me, that already exist in
<v Speaker 2>your flower beds, they're going to come back.
<v Speaker 3>I wish that would work.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And you know, I watch people try to say,
<v Speaker 2>what if I trim them down? What if I do? Look,
<v Speaker 2>take the time one time to get those weeds out. Now, listen,
<v Speaker 2>if you have big expanse of bad areas and there's
<v Speaker 2>not a lot of plants in them right now, yes,
<v Speaker 2>you know you get in there. You can. You could
<v Speaker 2>till once. I hate that to do that, but get
<v Speaker 2>dig those roots out, dig the weeds out, get them
<v Speaker 2>out strong, and start fresh. Once you do that, trust me,
<v Speaker 2>it will be amazing what will happen. Because if you
<v Speaker 2>dig them out a few seeds that are in there
<v Speaker 2>and you put it on a stick as you need to,
<v Speaker 2>and that's the number three. We'll get to number three
<v Speaker 2>in a second. It's going to keep those suppressed. But
<v Speaker 2>a strong taproot of a dandelion or a thistle, it's
<v Speaker 2>going to come right through there and be stronger than ever.
<v Speaker 2>So go through there. I mean, mulch is expensive and
<v Speaker 2>it takes so much time to keep mulching year after year.
<v Speaker 2>So that's why you want to take time one time
<v Speaker 2>to do it right.
<v Speaker 3>From the start, right and you know, trying to get
<v Speaker 3>to those weeds, and I know sometimes it's so frustrated.
<v Speaker 3>You go get a dandelion and you almost think you
<v Speaker 3>have it and it snaps off. That's okay, you know,
<v Speaker 3>you try to get through it if you can do
<v Speaker 3>the best you can. And my biggest device when weeding
<v Speaker 3>is do it when the soil is lightly moist, yes,
<v Speaker 3>not overdry, not overwet, and those weeds roots come out
<v Speaker 3>much easier.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. And we have a couple of articles on the
<v Speaker 2>site and if you just go to you know, either
<v Speaker 2>Simple Garden Life or any of our sites, this is
<v Speaker 2>my garden or old woral garden, and you put in
<v Speaker 2>like vinegar or horticulture vinegar or thistles. Thistles are the
<v Speaker 2>big ones for most people, and you can actually use
<v Speaker 2>that on them to kill them before you put them on.
<v Speaker 2>You just got to be careful how and where you spray,
<v Speaker 2>because it's going to kill anything it touches. But you
<v Speaker 2>want to get those out, as you said, before you
<v Speaker 2>ever start it. And the best thing is use a
<v Speaker 2>weed fork or something like that. When I talk about tilling,
<v Speaker 2>that's like a last resort because your bed is completely overtaken.
<v Speaker 2>The more the less you disturb your soil when you're
<v Speaker 2>pulling weeds out, the less likely other weeds seats are
<v Speaker 2>gonna get planted.
<v Speaker 3>I think it's probably important Jim to tell us what
<v Speaker 3>is a weed fork, because not everybody might know what
<v Speaker 3>a weed is.
<v Speaker 2>That's a great question. So we'ed four because you probably
<v Speaker 2>remember if you've ever watched your back in the day,
<v Speaker 2>your commercial grandparents. Yeah, do it. It's just a long
<v Speaker 2>metal rod on the end of like almost like a
<v Speaker 2>screwdriver and it's got two little prongs. They also make
<v Speaker 2>stand up ones which are fantastic. It's it's more like
<v Speaker 2>a shovel handle with the prongs and you can actually
<v Speaker 2>rock it back to get big weeds out. You can
<v Speaker 2>go to any of your home and garden stores. Are
<v Speaker 2>also on Amazon you can find them. But boy, they
<v Speaker 2>can be great for your back, I mean taking taking
<v Speaker 2>a lot of weeds out quickly. They're wonderful.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, And I think the big thing about when you
<v Speaker 3>take out the weeds is you have to be really
<v Speaker 3>careful not to use a big shovel and bring up
<v Speaker 3>that dirt to the surface because all you're doing is
<v Speaker 3>replanning the weed seeds that.
<v Speaker 2>We're right there eight to twelve inches. You're absolutely right.
<v Speaker 2>So okay, so we've covered one. We've covered two, which is,
<v Speaker 2>you know, using the wrong mulch and then mulching right
<v Speaker 2>over top of weeds. Here's from my mind. Once you
<v Speaker 2>have anything set, this is the biggest of all. It's
<v Speaker 2>not mulching deep enough. Don't skimp on your mulch because
<v Speaker 2>you're going to end up in the long run, having
<v Speaker 2>a lot more mulch put down in subsequent months years
<v Speaker 2>because you didn't do it right the first time, so
<v Speaker 2>people always like, are you serious. It really needs it
<v Speaker 2>has to be has to be at least four inches
<v Speaker 2>stick to work. If it's not four inches stick, weeds
<v Speaker 2>are going to find their way through and gonna we'd.
<v Speaker 2>Seeds are going to find their way into the soil.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and you have if you have the resources too.
<v Speaker 3>I mean I would go even to go up to
<v Speaker 3>six inches to help get those weeds out of your
<v Speaker 3>flower beds.
<v Speaker 2>Six inches by far the best. It's enough to stop
<v Speaker 2>weeds from finding the home below and also deep enough
<v Speaker 2>to conserve the moisture for plants regulate soil temperature. And
<v Speaker 2>everybody's like, that's that's half a foot of mulch, and
<v Speaker 2>you're absolutely right. That is the way to eliminate weed.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, we have large beds, and other than the
<v Speaker 2>springtime in the fall when we're just cleaning them up.
<v Speaker 2>When we do, we don't really have to touch them
<v Speaker 2>a lot. I mean it's a few minutes here and
<v Speaker 2>there to keep because of how thick that mulch is.
<v Speaker 3>And I think the key is using that hardwood. You
<v Speaker 3>have the hardwood mulch, it's not going to break down
<v Speaker 3>as quick or as fast of commercial mulches that you
<v Speaker 3>get in the triple shredded bags. Therefore, after you have
<v Speaker 3>your beds established, you're not going to have to continually
<v Speaker 3>add mulch NonStop.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, a great point, and that leads right into what
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to say next, which is perfect. It's like
<v Speaker 2>we know how to talk to each anyway, but it's
<v Speaker 2>topping off that mulch. So people say, well, you know,
<v Speaker 2>I mulch in the spring. That's what most people do, right,
<v Speaker 2>They go out, they buy their bags, they mulch, they
<v Speaker 2>forget it until the next spring. That's another problem. It's
<v Speaker 2>not the biggest mistake, but it's a big mistake. So
<v Speaker 2>you want to keep that six inch layer so we
<v Speaker 2>may go out in August or September when that starts
<v Speaker 2>to finally break down a little bit and put a
<v Speaker 2>few more inches on. Here's the key. Don't rake that
<v Speaker 2>old mulch. Don't touch that almultch. Just put it right
<v Speaker 2>on top, because if you rake it, you're doing the
<v Speaker 2>very thing we talk about with tilling. You're pulling all
<v Speaker 2>those seeds and loosening them and letting them fall down
<v Speaker 2>in between you.
<v Speaker 3>It's a very common thing in midsummer, your mult is
<v Speaker 3>starting to look dull and faded, and you're having a
<v Speaker 3>big party your Father's Day, celebration or birthday, and what
<v Speaker 3>you want to do. You want your flower beds to
<v Speaker 3>look nice. So you know, if you go out and
<v Speaker 3>you take that rak and you start mulching it, you're
<v Speaker 3>really hurting yourself and putting the weeds that will be
<v Speaker 3>coming up in the next time.
<v Speaker 2>You go out and rake it, and you think to yourself,
<v Speaker 2>why I haven't I doing this? This looks brand new,
<v Speaker 2>and then two weeks later you have a weed explosion instead.
<v Speaker 2>If that's the case, and if someone's like, you've got
<v Speaker 2>to make it look nice, it's it's dalling out. Just
<v Speaker 2>put a quarter inch or half inch of mulch on
<v Speaker 2>top fresh, don't rake that and disturb that soil, and
<v Speaker 2>then you know. We have a couple bonus tips. Mine
<v Speaker 2>is this, I'll get to yours. Second.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah good.
<v Speaker 2>My bonus tip is this. People talk about, well so
<v Speaker 2>much mulch, and that's this. This is just something we've
<v Speaker 2>subscribed to a long time. Flower beds were not meant
<v Speaker 2>to look like a lot of mulch, not having vast
<v Speaker 2>expanses fill your flower beds with plants and not mulch.
<v Speaker 2>The thicker your plants are, the better the canopy is.
<v Speaker 2>The less weed seeds can find at home, the better
<v Speaker 2>your beds look. And look, we're talking perennials here. For
<v Speaker 2>the most part. You can divide these. You can keep
<v Speaker 2>dividing and thicken them up. So don't make the mistake
<v Speaker 2>of when you're designing a new flower bed in your
<v Speaker 2>front yard and you're like, I want it to be
<v Speaker 2>forty feet long, and I have nine plants to start,
<v Speaker 2>and I'll put more in it, keep it small and
<v Speaker 2>keep expanding it, and then it becomes manageable. You're not frustrated.
<v Speaker 2>Your plants look great, and as you divide or as
<v Speaker 2>you get more, you can expand the bed. But again
<v Speaker 2>my tip is member more flower beds or more flowers
<v Speaker 2>in your flowerbeds, less mulch meaning less space for mulch,
<v Speaker 2>not that thickness.
<v Speaker 3>And less expense as well, and less.
<v Speaker 2>Expense and okay, so your bonus tip as well, Yeah.
<v Speaker 3>This is you know, we always get the spring fever
<v Speaker 3>of let's put our mulch on early so that way
<v Speaker 3>we can help those weed seeds go down or suppress
<v Speaker 3>the weeds before they get out. But you have to
<v Speaker 3>be careful and where you live, you can't put mulch
<v Speaker 3>down when your flower beds are frozen or have a
<v Speaker 3>chance of freeze, not a frost, but a freeze, because
<v Speaker 3>all that mulch does is trap the cold moisture in
<v Speaker 3>the soil below, and your plants aren't going to thrive.
<v Speaker 2>Could That's an excellent point. And you know what, even more,
<v Speaker 2>what happens in the spring so much we're experiencing this
<v Speaker 2>right now. You get tons of rains, all that mulch
<v Speaker 2>just traps all that moisture in, and you get down
<v Speaker 2>to dig your soil two weeks from now and it's
<v Speaker 2>still soaking wet because it never had time to dry out.
<v Speaker 2>So great point. Don't mulch until that soil temperature warms up.
<v Speaker 2>You know, we like to see it fifty five sixty
<v Speaker 2>before you're ever really starting to mulch heavy. But okay,
<v Speaker 2>so there you have it. The three biggest mistakes when mulching,
<v Speaker 2>and now you can avoid them. Okay, you can avoid them.
<v Speaker 2>You can get the right mulch, you can put it
<v Speaker 2>on the thickness you need, and you can also make
<v Speaker 2>sure that When you're doing that, you're eliminating all those
<v Speaker 2>weeds beforehand, and you're waiting long enough so the soil
<v Speaker 2>warms up. And that's right. You're also going to put
<v Speaker 2>more plants in this flower buds to keep them good.
<v Speaker 2>So look, it's common sense for us, right, Gardening should
<v Speaker 2>be fun, don't make it harder than it is. So
<v Speaker 2>what do you think of that? Absolutely, that's right, Keep
<v Speaker 2>it simple, all right, everybody. For Jimcapetti and my wife Mary,
<v Speaker 2>we thank you for listening again. We'll be back next
<v Speaker 2>week with another podcast, Happy Gardening, Happy Gardening.
<v Speaker 4>We hope you've enjoyed this episode. Subscribe to the Simple
<v Speaker 4>Garden podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or most of
<v Speaker 4>your favorite podcast apps. You can also head over to
<v Speaker 4>simplegardenlife dot com where you can listen and read all
<v Speaker 4>of the show notes to every episode.
<v Speaker 3>And if you have any questions, any ideas for show topics,
<v Speaker 3>or if you want to share your favorite garden tip,
<v Speaker 3>email us at the farm at owgarden dot com.
<v Speaker 4>Until next time, Thanks everyone,