Enhance Your Yard with Free Mulch
If you’re interested in obtaining free mulch for your property in Larimer County – we have good news for you.
The City of Fort Collins Forestry Division will offer free wood mulch to Fort Collins residents on Saturday, June 8, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1380 Hoffman Mill Road. City personnel will assist with loading using a front-end loader. In order to get the mulch, you’ll need to bring your own open-top vehicle or trailer and are responsible for securing your load before leaving the facility.
Entry to the event is only allowed from northbound Lemay Avenue. Expect long lines and wait times. To exit, visitors must turn right from Poudre River Drive onto northbound Lemay Avenue. Event Details can be found here.
For the Free Mulch – Show Up June 8, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1380 Hoffman Mill Road
How Much Money Does Free Mulch Truly Save You?
Looking at the prices at big box stores in Fort Collins like Ace, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart, a bag containing 2 cubic feet of mulch costs anywhere from around $2 – $5. With this bag you can cover a 12 square foot area with a mulch depth of up to two inches – or an 8 square foot area with mulch up to three inches deep.
So, if you have a small area to cover, a bag of mulch from a local garden store will do just fine. For larger areas, a free mulch giveaway can really save you money that you can put towards other landscaping tasks like putting some nice landscape edging around your mulch filled planting areas.
While a Bag of Mulch Isn’t All That Expensive, if You Have Large Areas That Need Mulch, A Free Mulch Giveaway Can Save You a Lot of Money
Benefits of Mulch
If you don’t already use mulch, you should either take advantage of the Forestry department’s giveaway, or head out to the store and buy some. Mulch offers many important benefits for your Fort Collins lawn or garden. Here are some of the key advantages:
Soil Health
- Moisture Retention: Mulch helps retain soil moisture by reducing evaporation, which means less frequent watering is needed.
- Temperature Regulation: It acts as an insulating layer, keeping soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Note that this really only applies to the organic mulches (like shredded bark). Inorganic mulches like rubber mulch can actually cause the underlying ground to heat up.
- Erosion Control: Mulch helps to reduce soil erosion by braking and slowing the drainage patterns of water. This helps to mitigate the effects of water erosion.
- Soil Fertility: Organic mulches decompose over time, adding valuable nutrients back into the soil and improving its fertility.
Plant Health
- Weed Suppression: We all hate weeds, and a thick layer of mulch can inhibit weed germination and growth by blocking sunlight. Much better than spraying chemicals in your planting area to keep weeds at bay.
- Pest Control: Certain types of mulch, like cedar, can repel insects and other pests.
- Disease Reduction: Mulch can act as a barrier, preventing diseases in the soil within your planting areas from splashing onto plant leaves during rain or watering.
Mulch Keeps Weeds in Check and Retains Moisture in Planting Areas
Aesthetics and Maintenance
- Improved Appearance: Mulch provides a neat, uniform look to garden beds and landscapes, enhancing overall aesthetic appeal.
- Reduced Maintenance: By suppressing weeds and retaining moisture, mulch reduces the time and effort needed for garden maintenance. This applies to needing less drip irrigation for planting areas – as well as less time spent pulling those darn weeds out of your garden.
- Pathways and Play Areas: Mulch can be used to create soft, safe surfaces for garden paths and play areas.
Specific Types of Mulch and Their Benefits
- Wood Chips and Bark: This is the kind of mulch that is being given away by the City of Fort Collins. Wood mulch is long-lasting and stays aesthetically pleasing for a long time. It is ideal for your planter boxes and garden beds. This is the most common type of mulch that you can get from the store.
- Straw and Hay: Ideal for vegetable gardens, they decompose quickly and add organic matter to the soil. Straw and Hay are beneficial especially when you’re first getting your garden started for the season.
- Compost: Provides rich nutrients, improves soil structure, and enhances microbial activity.
- Rubber Mulch: An inorganic mulch made from recycled tires, it’s durable and excellent for playgrounds and high-traffic areas. It does have the tendency to absorb heat and transfer that heat to the soil, but it certain is a perfect fit for certain landscaping elements.
