On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 21:45:17 GMT, "Natty_Dread"
wrote:

Hi folks! I planted my first gardens last year and mulched over both of
them with stuff I got at Lowes. The garden in the back yard has pine bark
nuggets and the one in the front yard I covered with a shredded mulch (which
I believe was cypress) that had been colored a rusty reddish brown (I used
it because it matched my shutters :-). Needless to say, after the winter
we've had here in the DC metro area (zone 7b for me in Northern VA), the
mulch doesn't look too pleasant. So, I'm wondering if I can turn the soil
over and till the mulch into the beds and then mulch again on top, or should
I rake up all the mulch that's there now and replace it with new? Any
suggestions for me? Thanks in advance!


You could turn the old mulch into the soil or you could put the old
mulch into the compost bin. The old mulch is "brown" so by adding
green material you will have a well-heated compost heap. Or you
could put the old mulch under shrubs, around trees, etc.