Working for a Greener District of Columbia

Mulch and Mulching

                                                           (Page 3 of 3)

HOW MUCH MULCH DO YOU NEED?

It's easy.  To determine how many 2-cubic-foot-bags you need to provide 2 inches coverage, divide the square foot area of the garden by 12.  For 3-cubic-foot bags, divide by 18.

SOURCES

DC's Department of Public Works collects garden waste like Christmas trees and leaves and mixing it all up into what they call a "rough mulch" that's then free to residents, community groups and garden clubs.

• Where: 900 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. (NJ and K)
  

• When: the website says it won't be available til March 1, Mondays through Saturdays from 7 to 3. BUT a recent phone call indicated it's available NOW (January 2008) and the hours are 6:30 to 5.  So you might want to CALL FIRST (202/447-4257).
  

• How much mulch?  You're allowed to fill up to 3 30-gallon bags that you bring yourself.
  

• Larger amount needed?  For neighborhood beautification projects and other larger needs, call 202/447-4257 to make arrangements.
  

• Here's the city's press release on the subject.
  

• What exactly is it?  Just shredded leaves, or are have they decomposed, and how much?  If you've seen this stuff, tell us!  (In the comment section below).
  

Takoma Park, MD provides leafmold mulch, which is chopped leaves that have decomposed for varying lengths of time. The leaves used were vacuumed up from city streets and have some trash in them, but remarkably few weed seeds.  Leafmold mulch can be spread on top of soil or mixed into soil to improve it.

• It's free for pick up by anyone.  Go to their Department of Public Works at 31 Oswego Avenue, easy to find from Piney Branch Road or East-West Highway - the Mapquest site is correct for this address.  Across the street from their office building is a big mulch pile - just helip yourself, 24/7.  Bring your own pitchfork (the very best tool for the job) and containers.
  

• They'll deliver for a charge on Fridays from 8:30 to 3:30 beginning March 30 and ending when the supply is depleted.  Call Public Works to schedule a delivery at (301) 891-7615.  Payment (check or money order only) for delivery must be mailed and received by Thursday afternoon at the Public Works Department, 31 Oswego Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20910.  The website says, "Mulch deliveries will be made to your driveway only." then goes on to say "If you do not have a driveway, special arrangements for delivery must be arranged through the Public Works Department."
  

• Resident prices for delivery are 3 cubic yards for $45; 7 or 10 cubic yards for $65.
  

• Nonresident prices for delivery are 3 cubic yards for $65; 7 or 10 cubic yards for $105.
  

• Your dump truck can also be loaded for a fee of $20 for a small truck and $30 for a large truck. Call Public Works to schedule loading at 301-891-7633.
  

Tip from a long-time user of Takoma Park mulch: Get the full 10 yards (if you have room to put it somewhere) and share it with neighbors.   

College Park, MD offers various products, as described here on their website and summarized below:

• Screened compost (called "Smartleaf") looks like fine black soil and is used to improve the soil, less frequently as a mulch (because it's an excellent growing medium for wind-blown weed seeds, and also because it looks like soil, not a soil cover).  It's made of leaves and grass clippings (which provides needed nitrogen for top-grade compost).  It cost $15 per cubic yard.
  

• Unscreened "compost" is what others would call mulch. It has a little debris in it and is of a coarser grade, but it's still great for use either on top of soil as a mulch or IN soil as an amendment. It's free (up to 5 cubic yards) to College Park residents and $7 per cubic yard to nonresidents. 
  

• Wood chips are great for paths or other nongrowing areas and cost $5 per cubic yard.
  

• Hours for pickup are M-F from 7:30am-11:30am and 1:00-3:30pm.  They can load pickup trucks (with no cap) for no charge. Customers can also bring their own containers and a shovel/pitchfork if they don’t have a truck. Everyone must stop in at the main office before entering the Public Works yard.
  

• Delivery: charges start at $20. 
  

• Call 301/474-4194.
  

Arlington County, VA provides free leaf mulch, wood chip mulch and fill dirt if you pick it up yourself and here's the location.  For a fee they'll deliver - see details and prices on their website.  They helpfully describe what various cubic yard amounts look like, with dimensions and photos.

Store-Bought? I happened upon this - some high-quality mulches you might see in a big-box store or nursery. These are offered by a wholesaler in West Virginia, not to be confused with Lowes Hardware Stores.

HELP UPDATE THIS ARTICLE

Please email us with new or contrary data and I'll add it to this article.  I'm not the expert here; I'm simply compiling what my research indicates is the BEST current data on the subject, so please help keep it current.

Go back to Page 1 of Mulch and Mulching: Why, How Much and How

Go back to Page 2 of Mulch and Mulching:  Types of Mulch

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