I have previously not thoroughly mulched my garden because of the large slug population (meaning lots of large slugs) in my area, but try different methods each year. (There's already a LOT of iron in my soil, so I go sparingly with the iron phosphate- plants can get too much iron!)So I have tried the various "in between" methods you have mentioned and my parents alway put their mulch in the paths, not directly around the plants. They grow amazing veggies... mine are fine, but theirs are amazing! Mulch is good. Sometimes it brings pest problems if certain other things are happening too. :) And some mulching materials are better than others for different areas, as others have said! So, if you were to ask "how much of which mulch should I use?" I think the answer would be "what are you going to grow there, what are prevailing weather conditions in your area like, and what do you want the mulch to do for your garden?" Don't you just love a question that is answered with a question?? But then once you answer those questions, you can probably get concrete answers (although you will still find many diverse opinions! :) ) Cheers! Sunni

if you use any sort of organic matter like that it has the potential to attract termites, but as has been said already if your termite protection is up to date with an experienced controlller then the home will be protected. check your controllers out thoroughly if you can get word of mouth opinions because there are controllers then there are controllers. now what you can do to further enhance you termite protection is not to have any lawn or gardens with the first meter around the foundation parmeter, this are should be covered with say 20mm stone gravel to promote a dry area no pots standing either unless you can drain the water away, termites like it moist. for the second meter out this is the place for pathways putting cement/tile type paths against the foundation parameter again creates a good place for termites to gather while they seek some way into you home. then any lawns/gardens/plantings should/could be from this 2 meter distance from the home foundation. if you have these sort of termite plan then whatever they may do in your garden will be of no matter they are recyclers like many other bugs. we just bought a new home and using the above plan and before we put in extra infrastructure ie.,. patio, hard stand, pool etc.,. where we could we had a trench dug app' 300mm X 300mm wide and deep and filled it with brickies/builders sand and then had the pest man lay the chemical barrier into that. the sand helps to create that dry barrier. we had intended to use cracker dust but the latest info indicated that the ph of the dust made these new chemicals less effective. len Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

I think Felix is right about smilax vines. A real PIA. I'm sure cardboard will slow them down, but there's nothing like a shovel to eradicate them. Boy, are they a pain. I prefer cardboard for new, unplanted, large areas. I usually use very thick newspaper or small cardboard for small, planted areas. If you're concerned about moisture, just wet the ground or the cardboard first. Cardboard will last longer and do more heavy duty jobs like bad weeds, grass, etc. The time these things last depends on rain, as moisture is what gets them breaking down. You may need to apply yearly the first couple of years. It also depends on how much mulch you put on top and how easily that breaks down. Experiment. There is no right or wrong, and remember that you are doing what's good for our environment and for your soil and garden. Have fun and keep asking questions. We may not have the answers, but we all mean well and have opinions!!! WElcome! Anna

Thanks. sorry long. Last long post. Hope you like talking about ground covers. This isn't sand by the way. I think pachysandra, vinca minor, and English ivy are by far cheaper and easier to get as plugs vs the ones suggested but I have to call around if that option is perused by the homeowner after we talk. I've seen unmaintained pachysandra in NJ under maples and it wasn't bad. Saplings can be cut/pulled when reach about a foot tall. But I read others say they get thousands of saplings and that preen or corn meal gluten pre-emergent would be needed, neither of which is an option for this house. They only want organic but don't want to spend on corn meal gluten every year which can get pricy. But anyway, in full sun like we're talking, I read pachysandra will grow poorly or die if the soil conditions etc aren't great and without watering or fertilizer and mulch (you can mulch it at first but it will turn to soil in a few years but then you can sprinkle more mulch or bagged mulched grass/leave mowings etc after to keep the moisture in and not need to water as often). the same full sun situation goes for English ivy but I read it might do a bit better in full sun than pachysandra. I don't know the USDA zones those people are in though who claim this, could be hotter there and more likely to do poorly. With poor growth in full sun, weeds can take over easier, and it won't recuperate as easy from winter stress especially with lots of full un-mulched leaves falling into it which will happen at this house. I read Vinca aka vinca minor, aka vinca bowels aka periwinkle does good in full sun (and dense shade), and it's cheap. But I read it spreads like crazy underground and don't want it to take over the existing shrubs in front of the house or the neighbors' lawns. It's an invasive problem in the woods and stuff in parts of the country becoming a mono crop type problem. Although here's a picture of it next to grass and I see none in the grass but maybe they are killing it selectively with a broadleaf-only killer. http://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/2771/ Pachysandra also spreads underground but I don't think I've ever seen it take over or even show up in a bordering lawn where no herbicides were used. This thread seems really incorrect: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1917442/my-neighbor-planted-vinca-minor Basically someone was worried their neighbor's new vinca minor lawn would take over their perennials and shrub yard. I read vinca minor is a rhizome but Someone replied "Since vinca spreads by rooting along its stems, just pull up the plants that venture outside the bounds. It is far easier to deal with than aggressive groundcovers that spread by rhizomes or underground stolons like ivy, hypericum, gallium or lamiastrum". And they said just a stout river rock border would keep it contained, and that it doesn't self seed, which I'm not sure if it does or not. don't want thousands of these seeds blowing on the neighbors' laws and growing. I'm reading a lot of articles/people say you need roundup or lots of vinegar and digging etc to contain vinca. This homeowner doesn't want to use roundup or any chems but they are okay with vinegar. I wonder if they just need maybe a few $3 gallons of vinegar each year and a sprayer to contain about 300 feet of vinca minor edges. I read vinca is really tough though even against roundups. Home Guides has an article saying you can just use 3" landscaper plastic edging and it will stay contained. People on forums said it will grow up and over no mater how high the border is but said they just mow it back and it stays contained. Maybe just an electric weedwacker can be used to scalp the edges once a month by the homeowner. This person says they maintain the edges simply by mowing and it looks great. http://tallcloverfarm.com/1398/periwinkle-vinca-major-covers-a-lot-of-ground With grass, if someone doesn't want to water, I still suggest to water it at least a full year (with an inch all at once, once per week, rain included) because that will grow deep roots and make it less likely to get wiped out in a drought once they stop watering. But if it still dies it doesn't take much to slice seed grass again for decent results (won't look like they spent thousands on sod or did follow up slice seedings and aerations every couple years with just one slice seeding but it will be decent). I would give the same watering recommendation for groundcover, preferably more than a full year until the watering stops and also to water some in mid summer if hasn't rained. I think the homeowner's goal is equally: -to be environmental and not need water or fertilizer once established and not have mow or pay for mowing or need much maintenance, especially with machines/mowing - them just hand pulling/pruning once or twice a year is okay. -have a cool looking yard The back yard and side also they wanted groundcover, and adds like 5X more to the Sq footage, so I think either way they will have to mow because I doubt they'll splurge for doing the whole yard as groundcover (all but the front main area we've been discussing is shady though so pachysandra would do fine for the rest). Maybe I'll till the front this year, put 3" fresh free woodchips, plant vica and then next year or the one after, I'll till the back and sides and propagate the same vinca. they have a wooded area in the back so they have to make sure it doesn't take over the whole thing back there also. A good point: Meaning that in the back where there's woods, they should leave a good ten feet as lawn how it is now and prune it back there to not let it get into the wooded area "You mention that mowing seems to keep them controlled; I believe that to be true. It is when they are established next to, or in a woodland that they go crazy, choking out native plants of all sizes. I would humbly suggest that they should be used only in areas where their growth can be limited by mowing on all sides or contained by features such as pavement areas" http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/06/vinca-flower/ I think the only thing left I have to research is if it can get all weedy if not re-mulched every few years. It can I read but I have to see if there are certain situations that make this more prone to happening - I think a lot of these people might have just not used enough mulch to start while the vinca was establishing and ended up with dense patches or weeds. Weeds would be fine, just don't want the weeds to actually take over the vinca, like grow taller than it and look like 1.5 foot of weeds. so many people are like snobs against vinca. looks good to me http://www.lodi.watersavingplants.com/GardenWorks/Photos/396.jpg and is a win win for no watering or mowing or chems etc any input thanks again