Much Mulching

To whom much mulch is given, much mulching is required.

Yesterday morning, I looked out my window and took a photo of our fairly fresh mulch. I had freshened it about a week prior, laying new mulch over the somewhat worn and thinning older mulch. It needs a refreshing top-up after a few years.

Years ago, we decided that with our poor soil and terrible grass weeds, we would mulch over what was not part of the garden. I guess in fact, that the mulch is part of the garden, but you know what I mean. While we maintain a little grass up by the sidewalk, most of the grass that you see (on the right) is on our neighbour's half of our narrow, shared lawn.

I knew that the big job lay ahead of me, however – behind the house in the backyard. There, the mulch cover very badly needed refreshing. For that purpose, I had purchased 24 bags earlier in the week. After two days of rain, Friday dawned clear, but not too hot, so I made up my mind to get 'er done.

To move the bags from the front and around the neighbour's  house to the back, I borrowed another neighbour's wheelbarrow and began the process. I would lift 4 bags into the wheelbarrow, push them all the way around to the backyard, lay them down, spread the mulch, and walk back to the front and repeat the process again and again.

I was more than half done when Sue returned from her standard Friday morning coffee date with her lady friends. That's when the pictures begin. You can see ↓ the gate at the back, the wheelbarrow and the rake that I used to spread the mulch somewhat evenly.

Lift, dump, and spread.

Hmm . . . where shall the next batch go? I think I'll start on my left.

Dumping the 21st bag ↓ by the gate.

That's when I stopped for the day although there were 3 bags and a few corners left to finish. My back was telling me that it would be a very fine idea to leave those bits for another day, and except for those picky corners, the job was done,.

I consider it of some importance to complete any semi-major gardening project by early June before the weather really heats up, for it does get mighty hot in that backyard where the simmer sun beats down relentlessly.