Mark wrote:
I have found that in my city there is a free mulch. You can go to a
city dump and they will not only give you free mulch, but will load it
for you on your truck.

Now, I am sorry, probably I should read, but I do not have time.
And the answer should be pretty simple and not require too much time.
So, the mulch I was told is just to cover the soil. This is not food
for plants. Correct?


not really. If you mulch with manure, you can avoid fertilizing. If you
mulch with wood chips, you only need to add nitrogen, and only
initially. My main flower bed has only received one foot of wood chips,
some leaves, and some wood ash for the iris. I never fertilize it.