Sharing all our tips & tricks for gardening on a budget & where we get free mulch & compost from the township where we live with pictures!
Table of Contents
Free Mulch from the Township
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One way we garden on a budget is by getting free mulch from our township.
They have a program where they take everyone’s weekly yard waste and make it into free mulch & compost.
They then make this available to residents through various self serve piles in different locations.
Because we’ve been clearing out our yard we currently have a large pile of yard waste that we’ve been slowly developing.
Getting Free Mulch & Compost with a Truck
We load the truck up and take it to the compost facility where they shred the tree branches, grass clippings & weeds & turn it into free mulch & compost!
We drive the truck to the compost location, the guy with the loader dumps a bucket full into the back bed, and I come home with a load of compost.
Below is a pic from our summer garden tour.
Getting Free Mulch & Compost without a Truck
When I don’t have the truck, I fill small trash cans, large cardboard boxes & empty flower pots with the free mulch & compost.
The free mulch can be HEAVY so I only fill containers & boxes that I am able to pick up without hurting my back.
I lay the containers of mulch & compost on top of trash bags in the back seats or trunk of my car.
We have used this compost as a mulch for the last eight years and it is awesome.
It’s free!
It has worked great as a mulch and definitely has some nutrients that help our plants grow well and get established.
The downside is that does have some weed seeds that survive the composting process but I think there is more good that outweighs the bad.
It’s also very green…this compost has never left our township! 🙂
I hope this encourages you to look into places near you that give away free mulch & compost!
by Tara Lehman
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