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The Irony Of It All
Brad Hollerbach

The Call of the Mulch

Posted Wednesday, March 16, 2011, at 12:00 AM

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  • I've never noticed an ant problem, Me'Lange although that might have something to do with the supplier. I get mine from Sunny Hill and their mulch has been very consistent over time.

    Years ago, I got some "free" mulch that the city was giving away after a massive storm created an excess of fallen down trees and limbs. They ground the stuff up and you could haul as much as you wanted. Let's just say, I got what I paid for.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, Mar 16, 2011, at 10:01 AM
  • Does the City of Cape have mulch for purchase? Or anyone know of anyone independent that sells mulch? I too am feeling the "call" and this is our first spring in our home...with LOTS of flower beds and LOTS of mulching to be done. I can smell the fresh scent of the mulch already.

    -- Posted by scadgrad23 on Wed, Mar 16, 2011, at 10:08 AM
  • I like mulch, too, and prefer the red to natural. I prefer it "bulk" over bagged because that's less of the precious oil being used to make plastic. It requires more work, a wheelbarrow and a trailer (hate to clean out the truck bed), but so what?

    BTW, DeWitt (yes, the $500K-less-than-before company in Sikeston) makes a fabric that lasts 25 years (if not sun exposed) that stops anything from growing through it. It will even kill vegetation it covers, so no need to pre-kill first. May get by with a thinner mulch bed. I also use it in the garden, covered with straw or shredded newspaper. If left to the sun, though, it mostly degrades by the end of season.

    -- Posted by Just_Wondering1 on Wed, Mar 16, 2011, at 10:09 AM
  • Applmomma: According to the cityofcapegirardeau.org web site the city offers free mulch at Arena Park. Here's what they say:

    The yard waste is ground into mulch and made available to the public in the southeast corner of Arena Park (where the animals are during the Fair) on a first come first serve basis.

    Personally, I like the bulk mulch from Sunny Hill. It's also a bonus that it is within a mile of my house. I was told their rate this year is $23 a scoop. Delivery in the city is $35 with a 3 scoop minimum / 12 scoop maximum.

    I've tried the weed barriers in the past, JW and just didn't care for them. No doubt they worked on at least 95% of the weeds, but the ones that would bust through were terrors and virtually impossible to remove. It was also a bit of a headache to move plants around, put in annuals or plant things like cosmos from seed.

    I long ago removed any of the mats from our beds. However, that's just me and our style of garden. No doubt the mats work.

    TFR

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, Mar 16, 2011, at 10:38 AM
  • Thankfully Rick, I've never had moles at my house. Too much mulch might make sense though. That could make the are extra damp which would attract slugs which moles reputedly like to eat.

    TFR

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, Mar 16, 2011, at 4:00 PM
  • Use cedar mulch and you eliminate the insect problem.

    -- Posted by ParkerDaws on Thu, Mar 17, 2011, at 7:34 AM
  • is it a good idea to advertise you defrauded a company on the internet?

    -- Posted by peacock111 on Thu, Mar 17, 2011, at 11:58 AM