You don't have to spend a lot to upgrade your garden beds.
Mulch and compost are more than just "nice to have" in your garden beds—they're actually essential components for feeding and protecting your plants as well as keeping your soil healthy. Mulch helps maintain moisture and soil structure in extreme weather conditions and adds nutrients as it breaks down, and compost fertilizes your beds while also reducing organic waste.
You don't have to spend a lot—or anything, in some cases—to reap the benefits of mulch and compost in your garden. Here are a few ways to obtain these materials for less.
When autumn rolls around and leaves start to fall, don't bag them and throw them out: Dry leaves make great natural mulch, as they break down quickly, and all you have to do is layer them in your garden beds. Fall leaves, pine needles, and twigs also make great browns for your compost bin (more on this below), and you can repurpose lawn clippings as either compost greens or mix them with dry leaves for mulching.
If you need more than what your yard can produce, offer to remove leaves and pine needles from others' yards. If you're willing to put in some labor, you and your neighbor(s) can all benefit, as you save them the work of raking. Or organize a community drop-off, where people can give or take reusable yard waste.
Even if your direct neighbors don't have leftover leaves or yard waste you can grab, other people in your community might. Check with FreeCycle, BuyNothing, or "free stuff" forums on Facebook or local classifieds, or post on Reddit or NextDoor. Even a quick Google search could net organizations or groups specific to your area.
Many counties offer free or discounted mulch and/or compost for residents, which may include materials collected from curbside brown bins as well as wood chips. Check with your local landfill or public lands department. With municipal compost programs, you may want to ask how compost is produced and tested before bringing it home.
When you see a tree service truck with a mulching machine parked in your neighborhood, ask if you can take wood chips off their hands. You can also use a service like ChipDrop, which connects you to participating arborists in your area to request a free wood chip delivery.
If you have ranches with stables in your area, you may be able to haul out piles of hay (and horse manure) for cheap or free to use as mulch. Make sure all manure is fully composted before putting it directly on your vegetable garden.
We've got a whole guide to lazy composting, which you can do for free (or with minimal startup cost if you want to use a container or tumbler). All you need is some outdoor space, a mix of brown and green organic matter—yard clippings, leaves, food scraps, etc.—and patience.
