Choosing a Garden Mulch in Colorado

Choosing a garden mulch in Colorado is confusing. With so many mulches on the market, how do you know what each is best for? What does mulch do anyway? Is it really necessary? Choosing a mulch for your area might depend on it's purpose. Here in the notoriously dry Southwestern U.S., mulch is mainly used for water retention. Choosing a garden mulch, or just a mud splash mulch for your home? Consider this information about different kinds of mulches, their purpose and common uses.

Let's start with gravel. We see a lot of this in Colorado, but sometimes it's over-used. Using gravel over landscape fabric cuts down on water usage. Water is a commodity here. While I appreciate the water conservation, one can take gravel usage too far. It's also quite difficult to remove if you have a change of heart. The best use for gravel is as a mud splash guard around the perimeter of your home. It's also excellent for pathways in floral gardens.

Shredded leaves cool and acidify soil. They work best around acid loving plants with shallow root systems. Shredded leaves are most useful in shaded areas around trees or flower beds. I like to use shredded leaves as mulch in my Colorado vegetable garden. Why? It cools the ground on hot summer days to cut down on evaporation.

How about wheat straw? It's certainly abundant here in Colorado. I use wheat straw when planting grass. As garden mulch, it falls short due to molding. When used over grass seed, it keeps birds from munching away on the seed and gives it time to sprout before they do. Wheat straw is also very good for erosion control. You will see CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) using it quite frequently.

Bark mulch is quite versatile. I recommend buying it by the truckload (yard) in Colorado. It's far too expensive by the bag. This is especially true if you have a large area to cover. I've used bark as vegetable and flower garden mulch. It's also an excellent replacement for gravel perimeter and pathways. Bark mulch is much easier to remove than rock.

Wood chips are an inexpensive garden mulch. They aren't as dark in color as bark mulch. On the other hand, bark mulch fades with time anyway. Wood chips are free if you have a chipper and are removing dead wood from your property. They're the most environmentally sound mulch of the five I've mentioned so far.

Recycled rubber mulch is a new trend. It can be used for many purposes including as garden mulch. I have no personal experience with rubber mulch, but I like that it's ecofriendly. It also seems it would be quite long lasting. I'm thinking it wouldn't have to be replaced or renewed as often as traditional mulches due to its durability.

Looking for an inexpensive ecofriendly local mulch? Here in Colorado, the best free mulch comes from shredded Christmas trees. Most municipalities offer it in the spring on a you load, first come first serve basis. If you live in another area, consider choosing an ecofriendly mulch that's native to your region of the country.

Some ideas:

Seaweed
Mushroom compost
Ground corn cobs
Peanut shells
Pine needles

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