Mulch is a cover for soil, and it serves many functions such as, water-conservation, repelling plant predators, suppressing weed growth, and it adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. In nature, soil is never bare for long and neither should it be in your garden.
Mulch can be straw, grass-clippings, newspaper, compost, wood chips, sawdust, and more. There are synthetic options available but they do not contribute anything to your soil-if you’re going to put it on there anyway it should pay you back by improving your garden.
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