Mulching Workshop - May 2007

This year we decided to mulch the gardens around the school. We asked the Australian Plants Society for a donation of $100.00 and asked Armidale Dumaresq Council for a deal on mulch. The Council subsequently delivered 5 loads of mulch to the school. The first garden to be mulched was the Reconciliation garden, which is situated behind the Science Block.

The grass was sprayed with Roundup before mulching to kill off the existing growth.

Next large sheets of cardboard were spread over the grass and mulch spread on top. The cardboard will act as a weed barrier and should ensure the garden is easy to maintain for many years. The lack of grass competition will also help the growth of the existing trees in this garden.

Altogether we spent 3 hours using 6 classes. This was an excellent method as we had a lot of manpower for a short period of time. We found it best to wet the cardboard lightly before placing it on the ground, especially on the slope as the cardboard has a tendency to slide easily.

Finally at the end of the first session we had covered two thirds of the garden. Another session the following Monday afternoon covered the rest of it.