15 Cheap Mulch Ideas to Save Money
If you're gardening on a budget, there are several areas where you can save money, including sourcing mulch. Kevin Espiritu lists 15 of his favorite ideas for finding cheap (or free) mulch.
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Mulch is a must-have in the garden, providing a long list of benefits from moisture retention to weed control. But purchasing mulch every time you need it can get expensive, especially if you have a large area to cover.
Whenever possible, I like to keep my gardening activities low-cost. Luckily, with so many cheap mulch sources, there’s no reason to buy at the garden center. Try any of these cheap mulch ideas (some are even free) to garden effectively on a budget.
Before you start, keep in mind that the materials you use to mulch have an impact on soil health and nutrient content. While choosing a cheap mulch, consider how it will impact the specific plants you’re growing before use.
Lawn Cuttings
Lawn cuttings are a classic and free source of mulch that reuses your garden waste efficiently. If you use them, avoid spreading them too thickly, as they might heat up while they break down (creating a mini-compost pile). They help keep weeds down, as long as your clippings don’t contain any weed seeds.
Neighbor’s Grass Clippings
If you need to mulch a large area, clippings from your own lawn are probably not enough. Instead, ask around the neighborhood for bags of grass clippings. If they’ve been left out, your neighbors will appreciate you clearing them. And if your neighbors are particularly friendly, you can always ask them to drop the clippings off in your garden.
Unfinished Compost
Compost is a wonderful resource in the garden, but it does require patience. It takes several months or even longer, depending on your structure, for the compost to break down completely. If you have extra compost that isn’t quite finished, put it to good use by spreading it across your beds as cheap mulch.
This option is best suited for beds that aren’t for aesthetic appeal. Also, note that certain food scraps can be intense for more sensitive plants.
Wood Chips
Why buy wood chips at the garden center when you can get them for free from so many different places? Ask around at local companies that frequently cut down trees for any offcuts to turn into free wood chips.
Christmas Trees
The holiday season is a great time to pick up a lot of cheap mulch. Chop up your own Christmas tree to turn into mulch and offer to take your neighbors too. Or, instead of going to individual homeowners, go to the companies that offer free tree shredding and see if they’ll give you some of their waste.
Allow the tree to cure for some time before spreading in your garden. You may unintentionally propagate a new tree if you spread too soon.
Newspaper
If you don’t already have a paper shredder, you’re missing out on a lot of free mulch. Every gardener should have one in their home, instantly turning junk mail and newspapers into something useful: cheap mulch. You can also wet old newspaper without shredding it and lay it down on your beds. Although it will decompose quickly, it’s a good weed suppressant.
This option is best for beds that aren’t growing food plants.
Straw Bales
Straw bales are a fantastic mulch, as long as the straw is safe for garden usage. During fall, local businesses will often advertise using straw bales. After the fall season ends, they’ll likely give them to you for free if you just ask. Buying straw bales from suppliers is also relatively cheap out of the fall season.
Stable Sweepings
If you live near stables (or have one yourself), you can use the sweepings as a cheap mulch. Contact a stable owner to check whether they’d be happy for you to pick them up if they’re not being used. If there is fresh manure in the sweepings, let that compost over the course of a couple of months before spreading on a garden bed with plants growing in it.
Pine needles
If you live in an area with pine trees, it’s time to go foraging. Pine needles are abundant and a fantastic cheap mulch, preventing weeds, conserving moisture, and decreasing erosion. Their waxy coating makes them slow to break down, so you only have to apply them once per year.
Paper Bags
Most home improvement or grocery stores have a bunch of broken bags or grocery debris that go to waste. If you ask, they’d likely be happy for you to take them off their hands. This type of mulch works much like wet newspaper, though it is a bit more durable. Like newspaper, unless you know the bags don’t contain toxins or inks, use them on non-food beds.
Fall Leaves
Most gardeners will toss fall leaves into their compost piles after raking. However, with the abundance of leaves available, you should consider setting a bag or two aside to use as mulch. If you don’t have a shredder, run your lawn mower over the leaves to break them up before applying them to your beds.
Landscaping Debris
Build a relationship with a local landscaping company, preferably a truck driver. Ask them to drop off their landscaping debris at your place after a job. You’ll instantly have enough mulch to last at least a full season. Avoid spreading in an area where you don’t want extra germinating weeds, though.
Local Tree Services
Much like landscaping companies, tree services are in the business of cutting and breaking down organic matter. And they’re often overjoyed to have somewhere to dump it. Contact them and build a relationship for free wood chips and tree trimmings.
Cardboard Sheets
If you’re an online shopping junkie like me, you probably have a wealth of cardboard boxes ready to be recycled. Break them down and spread them as cheap mulch in the garden. Cardboard lasts far longer than shredded newspaper or paper bags too. Remove any staples, tape, or stickers, and only use non-toxic carboards in and around beds where you are growing food.
Make Your Own Straw
I’ve saved the most time-consuming (but coolest) solution for last: making your own straw. You can do this by planting fast-growing sorghum and letting it grow. Then, chop it all down and you have tons of straw for mulching. Chop it before the seeds develop to prevent tons of little sorghum plants from popping up.
Final Thoughts
If you’re gardening on a budget, there are several areas where you can save money, and mulching is one of the easiest ones. Try any of these cheap mulch ideas to avoid buying your mulch from the store again.
