Ready or not, the biggest gardening task of the year is upon me - the spreading of 7+ cubic yards of leafmold mulch. Here’s what it looks like just off the truck, delivered this morning by my city’s public works crew. (And can I say that the near-severing of my power lines by the raising and lowering of the truck bed was harrowing. The memory of that same mechanism knocking an air conditioner out of its window and onto my living room floor is still fresh, so there’s some justification for my less-than-total faith in these public servants.)
Anyway, notice that some of the pile encroaches on my neighbor’s driveway? That’s why the goal here is to get the whole pile moved ASAP, which means hiring help to move it downhill (and down steps) to the backyard. I stirred up quite a fuss over on GardenRant recently by admitting to hiring what I called "immigrant laborers" but guess what - I’m doing it again. True, some gardening professionals insist I should be hiring only professionals to haul mulch, but $10 an hour is what’s budgeted for the job and it’s either that or risk my own back doing the job. Sorry!
One more thing. This time of year - every single year - there are the same questions on all the gardening-related Yahoo groups about mulch - which kinds are best, is hardwood okay, does the city’s leafmold have weeds, and on and on. But I hesitate to just post this link in answer to all those questions because it seems almost self-promotional but really, that’s why I compiled all that information in the first place, so let’s use it.
Hey, I know. I’ll tell them to visit this link to the very same information on the DC Urban Gardener site. No harm promoting that, right?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
mss @ Zanthan Gardens 03.30.08 at 9:11 pm
I didn’t quite understand the line about your city’s public work crew delivering the mulch. Why would they do that?
Susan Harris 03.30.08 at 11:52 pm
My town collects leaves and turns them into leafmold mulch, which it then offers free to the public. For a modest fee (like $65 for 10 cubic yards) they’ll deliver to your driveway. We’re trying to figure out if the city of DC can somehow do the same for its residents.
Layanee 04.03.08 at 6:44 am
Susan: Black gold it is! Looks great and that bonus of city delivery sounds too good to be true! I was thinking what a great workout that would be and then you mentioned help. I don’t blame you and wish my budget included that line item! Looking forward to meeting all in Austin. I know I’ll come home with more plants to covet although there is a vast difference between New England and Austin! Are the cherry blossoms in bloom?
Ether 04.07.08 at 9:55 pm
Wow- your city does that? How did you find out, and who did you have to contact? I know they collect leaves… I wonder if I can get mulch too!
Kathy J, Washington Gardener 04.08.08 at 10:56 am
LOL! I Thought it was only ME who held her breath when the mulch truck backs up and slowly raises right under the power/cable/phone lines — it is always a nail-biter.
And don’t you just lovethe smell of freshly delivered leaf mulch? I’m not joking - kind of like sweet tobacco and earth.
M A 04.08.08 at 9:36 pm
good gawd woman, how long will it take for you to get that spread around? You ARE a glutton for punishment.