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Mulching can make gardening so much easier in so many ways, so do yourself a big favor by making your mulching easy, too.

Mulch is any material that's spread over the soil to inhibit weed growth, retain soil moisture, and prevent nutrient loss. Both organic materials (such as bark dust or straw) and inorganic materials (such as plastic or rocks) can be used as mulch. What type of mulch you choose depends on your garden.

ORGANIC MULCH
The most common type of mulch used is an organic mulch, such as bark dust. The biggest advantage of using an organic mulch is that it will slowly decay over time, adding nutrients and humus to the soil. The soil food web - all the microbes, worms, and tiny insects that feed on organic nutrients - help break down the mulch and make nutrients available to your plants. Mulch that feeds the soil helps feed your garden.

Bark dust is a common organic mulch. It's slow to break down, and finer grades give a dark, even, finished look to the soil. One disadvantage is that when bark mulch dries out, it can become water resistant, which makes it harder to keep your garden watered properly during a dry summer.

Cedar mulch is a bit more expensive, but is becoming popular. The resins in cedar mulch inhibit weeds, but they can also inhibit growth in some of your plants and shrubs. On paths, cedar can be useful.

Compost is an excellent mulch. It contains nutrients that your plants need, as well as microbes that benefit the soil and your plants. You can make compost yourself, buy it by the bag at garden centers, or buy it by the truckload from companies that supply topsoil.

Chopped straw is a good mulch for vegetable gardens. It isn't as attractive as bark mulch so it's less often used on flower beds. A thick layer of straw keeps weeds out of the vegetable patch, and the coarse straw breaks down slowly into long-lasting humus.

Coffee grounds are great mulch for acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons. The grounds look like dark, rich soil when applied, and contain trace nutrients that benefit the plants. Many coffee shops give away used coffee grounds.

Cocoa hulls look nice as a mulch, but small dogs may chew on them - not a good thing, since cocoa can be toxic to dogs. Use them only in places where dogs can't get to.

Be aware of where your mulches are coming from. There's a growing industry for cypress mulch which is extremely detrimental to sensitive cypress swamps in the American South (see http://www.motherjones.com/new s/feature/2008/03/louisianas-m ulch-madness.html

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