Mulch: Why it's awesome and how to use it

Image compliments of Wikimedia commons,

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mulch_shredded_yard_waste.JPG

This week was mulching time!  We are pretty lucky on the St. Paul campus to have compost from the animal barns on campus to provide us with mulch for the display and trial garden.  Mulch has so many benefits for your garden, it's hard to list them all but I will give it a try.

• Helps retain soil moisture
• Helps stabilize soil temperature
• Provides habitat for beneficial insects
• Asthetics
• Improves soil structure
• Suppresses weeds
• Protects plant roots from extreme heat AND cold
• Adds soil nutrition
• Prevents soil erosion
• Prevents soil campaction

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. Mulch is an important part of the garden. So how can you incorporate it into your garden?  There are lots of different types of mulch so I will just highlight a few organic (bark, leaves, compost, etc.) types of mulch. 
First things first. Every good garden has a compost pile.  Put dead leaves, grass clippings, weeds (as long as they haven't gone to seed yet), and kitchen scraps in your compost pile.  This waste, once composted can make excellent mulch. 
In addition to compost, bark, chopped leaves, straw (not hay!), and wood chips make good mulch.  Simply spread this out around your plants, leaving enough room for them to poke out.  2-4 inches is usually sufficient. 
If you are interested in getting a bit fancier with your mulching, or if your soil is in serious need of help, you can try "lasagna mulching".  Here's a recipe for lasagna mulch from "The Urban Homestead" by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen (great book, fun read):

1. Stomp or mow down weeds.  No need to pull them up.
2. Water the soil if it is dried up.
3. Spread a layer of manure--rabbit, chicken, or horse is best.
4. Lay down sheet mulch as a weed barrier.  Cardboard, newspaper (but not the shiny inserts), cotton sheets all work well.
5. Put down a layer of compost, three or more inches.
6. Add the top dressing. This is the part that should look nice.  Dried leaves, straw, bark, wood ships, or pine needles will work well.  
7. If your soil is really poor, let this rest a full year before planting.  After one year, there should be significant improvements.