mulching
By Figgy
Bonneville, Idaho,
United States 
I have little plants growing in garden beds. I want to mulch these beds. But do I have to lay a plastic sheeting barrier down under the mulch first? How do I do that with all the little plants growing in there? Can I just put a mulch in there without the barrier?
23 May, 2008
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mulching
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A Mulch can be applied to improve the appearance of the bed but they can also work to stop the soil drying out so quickly and to gradually mix with the soil to improve its structure. So applying the mulch without a barrier enables the mulch to do these jobs. If you want it to suppress the weeds too it will need to be a reasonably thick layer. However, your little plants need to be able to see the light and breathe so allow a bit of shallow or mulch-free space around each one.
23 May, 2008