Types of Mulch
Hardwood Bark Mulch is the bark off of hardwood trees (oak, maple, etc. not pine, which is a “soft” wood). Hardwood Bark Mulch is created during the lumber process. After the trees are harvested the bark is removed. The bark is then processed in varying ways before it becomes the final mulch that we use in our gardens.
Double Shred Mulch is created by taking that bark and shredding it an additional time. Screened Double Shred is also sent through a screen to filter out any of the larger pieces that were not shredded, creating a more consistent mulch. Triple Shred is shredding a third time, resulting in finer pieces of mulch.
The Timber Ridge mulches (Timber Ridge Black, Timber Ridge Brown) are wood chips that are dyed. The wood chips are also created by the lumbering process, but are the odds and ends that are left over after milling (this material does NOT come from home demos or remodeling, which often contains nails and other contaminants).These pieces are then chipped and then dyed.
Our Organic Brown is a compost-based mulch. It is a mixture of bark and Nature’s Treasure, which is double processed to a consistent texture. This mulch is very dark in color and is a good amendment to your soil as it breaks down. Not dyed
Playground is a wood chip mulch created specifically for use in playground areas.
Now let’s talk about how the different mulches behave in our gardens. All of the mulches help to reduce weeds and maintain moisture, but the real difference is in how they break down. Hardwood bark mulches decompose and add their nutrients to the soil in the course of a year or two. There is no need to remove old hardwood bark mulch before adding more (unless it’s already on pretty thick, then you want to remove some). Wood chip mulches take much longer to decompose, so you generally need to remove the old mulch before adding fresh mulch.
Dyed vs. Undyed: Our dyed mulches include Timber Ridge Black and Brown and Grandscape Black and Brown. Dyed with vegetable based dye, safe for pets, people, and plants. The color lasts all season, keeping your mulch looking fresh. Our natural hardwood bark mulches are Double Shred, Screened Double Shred, and Triple Shred. They are all a natural dark brown in color and once spread, the top layer will be lightened by the sun, but underneath continues to darken, so when it is periodically roughed up, it will look dark and fresh again.
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How much?
Thankfully, the formula for figuring out how many cubic yards you need to cover your area isn’t difficult. Or use our materials calculator on our store site.
Length (in feet) x Width (in feet) ÷ 12 x Depth (in inches) ÷ 27 = Cubic Yards
To figure up multiple areas, find the square footage of each area, add those together and continue with the rest of the equation:
12’ x 8’ = 96 sq ft
4’ x 7’ = 28 sq ft
9’ x 10’ = 90 sq ft
5’ x 20’ = 100 sq ft
These areas have a combined square footage of 314; so now we start the rest of the formula with dividing by 12:
314 ÷ 12 x 2” (depth in inches) ÷ 27 = 1.93 cubic yards
So for these areas, at a depth of 2”, I’d need 2 cubic yards.
This formula works the same for any material (mulch, topsoil, gravel, sand).
Note: If you have multiple areas, you cannot add all the lengths and all the widths together. That will give you wonky numbers.
Questions? Let us know!
