Last Thursday’s delivery included 7 cubic yards of double-shredded hardwood mulch and 4 cubic yards of compost blended with topsoil (50-50 blend). I should have ordered plain compost. The compost blend was a mistake and I ended up giving away much of it to a neighbor.
Mulch and Compost
With trepidation I hired assistance this year to help me weed and distribute the mulch. Although I know there were a few victims, such as the Solomon’s Seal I had just recently spotted popping up, but mostly I am pleased and relieved to have this job done.
Post-cleanup Garden View
Post-cleanup Garden View
Post-cleanup Garden View
pbmGarden 
It’s a beautiful job well done. The word “pristine” comes to mind. When I lived in Chapel Hill I went to the big leaf pile near Carrboro every year to get mulch. it was free and was wonderful when it was broken down and used for the garden.
Thanks for the tip John. I need to buy a truck so I can take advantage of this.
I had one at the time and it was great source of mulch. I also had a leaf shredder and ran what I picked up through it before putting the mulch in the garden.
Your yard looks absolutely beautiful. I often dream of having an assistant.
Thanks. Certainly there are trade-offs when someone else is stepping into your garden beds but this year it was worth it.
Your garden looks marvelous, Susie! I about choked when I saw how much mulch and compost mix you ordered, imagining my own aching back after distributing just 3 cubic yards of mulch. I’m glad you got yourself some help.
Thanks Kris. One year I ordered and distributed 16 cubic yards. Never again. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get around to it this year.
It does look marvelous! what was up with the compost mix? I just hired help for installing edging in my Salsa garden, well worth it!
I wanted some compost but also needed something to suppress the weeds. The man I ordered from said if I just wanted to spread it on top and not work it in I needed to buy the compost mixed with sand. Once I saw it (upon delivery) I felt it would be too heavy and would bury many of the plants. It would have been great if I’d been creating new beds though.
Really! I think you made the best decision about that, maddening though.
Looks so tidy and a great way to start the season. Excellent job!
Thanks, now if I can just keep up with the garden from here and not get behind again.
It looks very professional, a job well done. What was wrong with the compost mix?
Thanks Brian. I wanted some compost but also needed something to suppress the weeds. The man I ordered from said if I just wanted to spread it on top and not work it in I needed to buy the compost mixed with sand. Once I saw it (upon delivery) I felt it would be too heavy and would bury many of the plants. It would have been great if I’d been creating new beds though.
I can understand that with the sand in it. We have access to spent mushroom compost, very cheaply, from the mushroom farms. It makes a good mulch.
The garden looks perfect Susie, pristine as someone above said! Sometimes it is good to know when to get help, you did the right thing!
Thank Christina. Hope I can stay on top of the garden’s needs for a while. It’s been hard to have time this winter/spring to spend on it. And now the irises are starting to flower so the cleanup was just in time.
Wow – perfection. I applaud your ability to find someone to help you. They are in scarce supply here. I get my deliveries in our utility trailer so I don’t have to shovel it twice and can drive around to deliver it. It’s amazing what you have to figure out when you are in the ‘mature’ category. 🙂 Again, looks wonderful.
That’s a smart way to get your deliveries Judy. Wish I had room for that. We have very narrow access between the houses in our neighborhood, so hiring assistance this year was a relief.
Very nice! What a feeling of accomplishment. Happy spring!
Thanks Beth! Happy spring to you also.
It looks just gorgeous Susie!!! And good for you to get some help (buried plants notwithstanding..) We do have our HOA mulch all my outside beds, but I do the inside gardens. This year they put the mulch on MUCH too thick outside, so there was tons for me to then spread inside.
It was so nice to see you on Tuesday! If you ever want to have lunch, even last minute, just let me know. Would love to meet at the Granary, or Albarello is nice.
Thanks Libby! Good to see you too. Didn’t know about Albarello. Let’s try that sometime. Lucky you could repurpose some of the HOA mulch for your inside beds.
What perfection! It’s always a conundrum whether help is truly helpful. Looks like in your case it was.
Thanks Ricki! Overall I’m glad to have had help this year because I doubt I’d have mulched the entire garden by now otherwise.
Seven cubic yards – wow! That’s a lot! Your place looks great!
So glad I didn’t try to move all that mulch myself and very glad it’s done.
It’s pretty neat. I’m envious that you have already done your spring clean up and mulching. I still have to wait over here for the weather to cooperate. It’s been raw, cold and rainy so far.
Oh, hope you get some happier weather soon. Makes me appreciate how much gardening you are able to compress into a much shorter growing period. Weeds are still springing up everywhere, so I’ll have to stay on top of things to keep things looking tidy.