Mulching your borders – or any bare soil – helps to keep weeds at bay and hold in moisture. As the

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

Bark is the outermost layer of woody plants (trees, shrubs and woody climbers). It is several cells thick and provides protection against physical damage, disease and environmental stresses. Bark comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, and these can help gardeners when identifying plants. The fissures and crevices of bark on older plants also creates valuable habitat for many garden creatures as well as lichens and small plants.

bark

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

compost

• Mulch – such as home-made compost or leafmould, or bought soil improver

• Gloves

• Wheelbarrow, bucket or similar

• Garden fork and spade, or a pitchfork or shovel if you have them

• Rake – ideally a narrow one

1. Mulch in late winter or early spring

   The best time to apply mulch is when the soil is moist from winter rainfall. Delay mulching if the soil is very wet (squelchy) or frozen.

2. Calculate how much mulch you’ll need

   One cubic metre/yard of organic matter will mulch 15–20 square metres/yards of ground. On a smaller scale, two bucketfuls or one standard bag of mulch (around 70L) will cover one square metre/yard of ground.

3. Choose your mulching material

   This could be your own home-made compost or leafmould, or bags of composted bark or well-rotted manure bought from a garden centre or online. Many suppliers deliver in bulk bags or as a loose load, avoiding plastic packaging.

4. Prepare the ground for mulching

   Dig out perennial weeds before mulching. It's not essential to remove low growing annual weeds, as a covering of mulch will smother them.  Use this opportunity to tidy up your border plants, removing any dead growth, and redefine border edges.

5. Take care transporting heavy mulch

   Large bags of soil improver can be very heavy to move, so get help if necessary. Also be careful not to overfill your wheelbarrow, as it can become unstable, or to overload yourself with buckets – it’s far safer to make repeated journeys.

6. Start applying mulch to your borders

   Tip or shovel small piles of mulch onto areas of bare soil between plants. Start at the back of the border and work your way forward to keep access routes clear.

7. Spread the mulch

   Ensure the layer of mulch is at least 5cm (2in) deep, but ideally 7.5cm (3in). A narrow spring-tined rake is useful for this, but a garden fork works well too.

8. Work carefully around border plants

   Use your hands to spread the mulch under shrub branches and around delicate emerging plants. You could temporarily cover the crown of emerging perennials with an upturned pot, to stop them getting stepped on or buried as you mulch.

9. Leave a gap around woody stems

   Keep a 10cm (4in) mulch-free circle around any woody stems.  Mulch can stay damp and cause rotting if it’s piled up around the base of shrubs and trees.