That whole mulch thing

Every spring I order a buttload of mulch, usually 4 cubic feet, usually $120 delivered.

It is left on my sidewalk strip/street and I haul it up the steep driveway bit by bit, by bucket and by wheelbarrow. My kind neighbors always offer to help, but I genuinely enjoy the exercise and the empirical evidence that I could have survived the gulag.

I make a couple of big piles in the yard because you're really not supposed to leave it on the street for long, and then dip into the pile as needed to dress newly weeded beds, to mix with compost or manure, to fill in a new bed or container, etc. The mulch I order is usually some mix of aged composted debris and manure. This acts as a light fertilizer, and I can mix in more manure or other amendments as needed for the task at hand.

Why mulch? It helps keep weeds from growing, helps plants maintain moisture and regulate temperature, provides nutrients vital to new growth (especially as winter becomes spring), and it looks nice.

Obtaining mulch is necessary and ordering it is convenient, but $120 is hard on my budget. This year will be different! I have created enough of my own compost that I won't have to buy anything this year except maybe a bag of manure -- and those are cheap (or, free, wink) at Fred Meyer.