Natural Mulch

Trying To Decide On A Mulch? We’ve Got Answers.

There are a lot of mulches out there to choose from. Narrowing down the best one for your vegetable garden or flower bed can come down to multiple factors. One of the most important characteristics in mulch is its composition – is it an organic or inorganic option? There are plenty of inorganic mulches out there from rocks and gravel to rubber and plastic. For the purposes of vegetable and ornamental gardening, we recommend steering clear of any mulches that aren’t natural or organic.

“Any natural mulch is better than no mulch at all.”

- Joe Gardener

Spreading mulch on your vegetable or flower garden has many benefits.

Mulch reduces erosion
Maintains soil temps
Slows the spread and proliferation of weeds
Helps soil retain moisture
Feeds the soil as it decomposes
Mitigates diseases
Protects tender seeds during germination

In this blog, we’re highlighting our favorite natural and organic mulches for veggie and flower beds and some of the pros and cons of each.

Compost

Compost is a nutrient-dense mulching medium that you can make yourself. Compost attracts worm friends that help to aerate and feed the soil – they are a great addition to any thriving garden party.

If you go the compost DIY route avoid throwing in pet waste, weeds, meat, bones, citrus, or foods super high in fat content.

We carry our own proprietary blend of organic planting compost here at Molbak’s as well as a biodynamic compost from Malibu Compost called Bu’s Blend. Both are great options for veggie and flower beds.

Straw

Straw is one of our mulch favorites here at Molbak’s. Why do we love it so?

Straw mulch for the garden

It provides great coverage for your money
Simple to spread
Lightweight
Can leave on the soil at the end of the growing season
It conserves water
It’s easy on the eyes

Here at Molbak’s we carry HealthiStraw. It’s one of our go-to mulches. Not only is HealthiStraw family owned and operated on the Canadian prairie it was designed with the urban gardener in mind. Why we love it?

Clean, seed and dust free
Comes pre-shredded
Prevents weeds
An amazing water conserving mulch
Improves the health of your soil by adding nitrogen and carbon
Protects new and established veggies, herbs and flowers
One bag covers 20 square feet

Bark

Bark mulches are durable and easy to spread. If you opt to go the bark mulch route we recommend going with a cedar, pine or hemlock variety. Bark mulches can be more expensive than other options but when you consider its longevity it is well worth it.

If you’re considering adding a bark mulch to your veggie garden you should opt for pine or hemlock bark.

Lightweight
Easy to spread

Quickly improves soil

Arborist Wood Mulch

The best thing about arborist wood mulch is that you can have it delivered to your house. Signup for Chipdrop and get on the waitlist to have chips dropped off in your driveway.

While arborist wood mulch is free it does have some drawbacks. For one, it’s a heavier mulch which means it’s not great for seed germination. Second, it’s the ugly duckling of chips. While we don’t recommend putting arborist mulch directly into your veggie beds, it’s great between beds and at the base of other edibles like blueberries and raspberries.

Shredded Leaves

Shredded leaves are a great pollinator and bird habitat during the winter and provide soil with rich, organic matter. You can easily shred dry, collected leaves in a garbage bin with a weed whacker or yur mower. Be on the lookout for leaves that may be infected or infested with pests.