Some tips on mulching, when to add soil and when to use compost. Many homeowners make the decision that “if two inches of mulch is good, then four inches must be twice as good.” This is not correct. Too much mulch, like too much of almost anything, can reverse the positive impact of the process and become a detriment to a beautiful, healthy garden. Here's a good rule for mulch; one to three inches and never more than three unless the intent is to kill what is beneath the mulch. Mulching under a split rail fence might serve as an example of this type situation. How to choose between one and three inches? The coarser the mulch, the deeper you may pile it up. Remember, the purpose of mulch, in addition to beautification, is to protect the soil and the roots of one's plants while encouraging the passage of air and water to the soil through the mulch. A triple shredded mulch can be used at a depth of one to two inches; single or double shredded can be used at two to three inches.

How much do I need?

This is an arithmetic question. First, measure the area to be mulched. If it's a rectangle, multiply the length times the width to get the number of square feet; if it's a circle, measure from the center to the edge, multiply that number times itself and the product times 3.14 to get the square feet measurement of the circle. But most gardens are not perfect rectangles or circles, so what to do? 2 suggestions: make approximate measurements (None of the measurements has to be terribly precise.)

Call Doc Grizzly to estimate for you. When you have a number of square feet to be mulched, then you can figure the amount of mulch by using the following formula:

# of sq. ft. divided by 300 = # of cubic yards @ 1 in.
# of sq. ft. divided by 150 = # of cubic yards @ 2 in.
# of sq. ft. divided by 100 = # of cubic yards @ 3 in.