Seasonal Mulching: When and How to Refresh Your Garden

Throughout the changing seasons, tending to your landscape and garden is truly an investment, taking considerable time and effort to create a beautiful landscape. Your garden requires constant care and attention, but several ways exist to improve garden health without the time commitment and hassle. One of the most effective ways to maintain the health and beauty of your landscape is through mulching. This blog will explore seasonal mulching—a key practice that helps your garden thrive throughout the seasons. The Basics of Mulching Mulch is a protective blanket for your soil, plants, and trees, offering many benefits. Mulch helps to retain moisture, preventing soil from drying out during the summer, which is vital for the health of your plants and significantly reduces your water consumption and waste. Mulch also acts as a temperature regulator, keeping the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. By creating this stability, mulch encourages root growth and sustains plants to withstand differing weather conditions. But that's not all. Mulch also acts as a barrier against weed growth, minimizing the competition for essential nutrients and water between them and your plants. As a result, your garden will appear neater and may require less maintenance. With many varieties and ways to approach mulching, the once-simple task can become pretty time-consuming. However, we believe that mulching can be simplified with professional assistance to save homeowners that extra time. What is Seasonal Mulching? Seasonal mulching is a specific approach to mulch application throughout the changing seasons, acknowledging that different times of the year demand different types of mulch and application methods. There are, in fact, recommendations of the best times to mulch and the most suitable types for fall and winter to guide homeowners with the process. Timing is Everything Timing your mulching applications is one of the best ways to ensure the maximum benefits for your garden. Generally, there are two ideal times to mulch: spring and fall. These two seasons are the most neutral weatherwise and act as dormant seasons for lawn care and applications. In the spring, mulch helps lock in soil moisture, preparing your garden for the summer. A small layer of mulch becomes a protective barrier against early-season weeds. During the fall, mulching serves a different purpose. It provides an extra layer of insulation against the cold, keeping the soil warm and protecting your plants' roots as winter approaches. The mulch layer also prevents frost heaving, where plants are pushed out of the ground due to freezing and thawing cycles. The Best Mulch Types for Winter and Fall Choosing the right type of mulch is as important as timing. Organic mulches such as shredded leaves, straw, and wood chips are excellent for perennials for fall and winter. These materials break down slowly, consistently releasing nutrients into your soil. Additionally, they have insulating properties to maintain soil temperature and protect your garden throughout the winter. Pine needles are also a good choice for providing insulation. Shredded leaves, in particular, are a popular and great choice for their natural ability to decompose and enrich the soil. When to Refresh Your Garden with Mulching While mulching has many long-term benefits as they are long-lasting, it's important to know when your garden needs a refresh. Generally, you should consider replenishing your mulch layer every one to two years. Signs that it's time to refresh your mulch include:

• A thinning layer less than two inches thick
• Weeds or noticeable soil erosion
• A decline in the garden's overall appearance