Winter does the Mulch Mash

Last fall, we gathered up all the leaves we could easily get our hands on, and then we laid down a thick layer over our garden beds. We raked our yard a couple times as well as helping ourselves to the leaves raked into the street by unsuspecting neighbors (see Confessions of a Leaf Thief for more details).


The result was a thick colorful blanket covering the garden beds. The weather cooperated, sending rain and more rain to hold down the leaves, rather than winds which would have helped us “share” them again with our neighbors. Snow soon followed– and lots of snow at that.

Now that the blanket of snow that covered our yard and Michigan for most of the last 4 months has disappeared, our leaf blanket has been revealed and we are delighted with the changes the weather has brought about.

The fall colors are obviously muted and the leaves are compacted closely. Since we use the all-over, year-round mulch method, we are off to a good start for the not-too-distant planting season. We’ll simply pull back the mulch, dig the holes, and add our seeds or seedlings, as the case may be. Our mulch will both feed the soil and discourage the weeds. It’s been a long winter indeed, but winter has been on our side, doing the mash and helping us mulch our garden.