Installing mulch may look like a simple process, but can quickly become overwhelming if not done properly. Our step-by-step guide can make the process as easy as possible with professional results.

1. Measuring. Preparing your yard for mulch is a simple formula. To make your landscape easy to measure, use simple shapes like rectangles, triangles, and circles. When ordering mulch, cubic yardage is the most common way of ordering. One cubic yard will cover 324 square feet at a 1” depth, so doing your calculations and conversions becomes simple when following the following formulas. We recommend a 3” depth when mulching your garden and landscape. Below are simple formulas to follow:
   1. Rectangular Area: Length x Width x Depth/324
   2. Circular Area:  A=πr2 x Depth/324
   3. Triangular Area: Length x Width/2 x Depth/324
2. Install a weed barrier (if one isn’t already installed or old weed barrier is broken down.) Install a weed barrier by placing the barrier over the ground you wish to mulch. Cut the barrier tight with curbing and plants, making sure there isn’t room for weed growth between the seams. Stake down the weed barrier with the stakes provided by the supplier.
3. Ordering. When ordering mulch, please have your measurements handy, that way you can order the precise amount that you need. Here are a few questions that a supplier would want to know:
   1. What variety of mulch are you looking for? Click here to see our mulch pricing.
   2. How much are you looking for?
   3. Are you wanting it delivered or installed as well?
4. Delivery. Depending on the quantity of mulch you order and the supplier, mulch will either come in 2 cubic feet bags, 1 cubic yard totes, or bulk delivered by dump trailer or truck. If being bulk delivered, we recommend placing a tarp where the mulch will be placed so leftover residue isn’t left on concrete, cement, pavement, or grass.
5. Tools. A job is only done as well as it is prepped for, so having the proper equipment is crucial to making the labor as easy as possible. Here are the tools you will need:
   1. Work gloves (For protecting your hands from slivers and debris)
   2. 5 gallon buckets (Making it easier to spread mulch in tight areas)
   3. Wheelbarrows (For packing mulch into the desired area and making mulch spreading quicker)
   4. Shovels (A spade shovel makes digging into the mulch easier and breaks up the mulch more effectively while it’s in the pile.)
   5. Rakes ( For spreading the mulch as level as you can get it)
6. Installing the mulch. For mulch installation, start by filling your wheelbarrow with as much mulch as possible. Transfer mulch to desired spot and dump. Spread evenly until you get your desired depth. Repeat this process until your landscape or garden is covered. 
7. Make sure to not put heavy water on installed mulch for 24-48 hours. Mulch needs about 2 days to fully set, and applying heavy water can cause mulch to wash out and not be as efficient as it could be.