How To Get Free Mulch For Landscaping And Flower Beds

Getting mulch for landscaping projects and your flower beds doesn't have to be expensive. Sure, the best-kept secret to getting budget-friendly gravel for similar projects is places like Facebook Marketplace. But even then, you still might have to pay. The good news is, if you are searching for mulch, there's a way to get it totally free. It's through a company called Chip Drop, which connects arborists to gardeners. Arborists have loads of wood chips to get rid of ... gardeners want wood chips for their yards! Founder Bryan Kappa figured this was a match made in heaven. Instead of arborists paying a fee to offload the wood from their jobs to the dump, while gardeners looking for these same chips had to search high and low, his company connects the two. And it's free for gardeners. 

If you haven't used this material in your garden before and are wondering if it's worth it, the difference between wood chips and mulch is that wood chips are a type of mulch, but not all mulch is made of wood chips. Using wood chips in your garden is beneficial because it gives it a diverse offering of nutrients from many sources. Wood chips can also be helpful to use for projects because they tend to hold onto water, which prevents mud from forming and also slows down erosion. However, it sometimes can hold onto too much water. It also breaks down fast, so you'll need to top it up often. 

The first step to receiving your free Chip Drop delivery is to create an account with the company. From there, you can input your address and see if there are arborist partners operating in your area. You can then put in a request for a load of wood chips, but you can't specify the size. This free service is a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. While the exact amount is unknown until delivery, they can range from 20 cubic yards (which is 130 to 270 bags of store-bought mulch) all the way down to four! So, while it's good to stack the material nice and deep when mulching your landscape, you might end up needing to share the mulch with your neighbors. Or, continue to pay it forward by giving it away on Facebook Marketplace. 

The contents of the delivery can also vary, but is still held to a standard. Chip Drop states that its loads are at least 50% wood chips, while the other 50% might be greenery or pine needles. That said, less than 5% of the load might contain other things, like small sticks, dirt, gravel, etc. However, there will never be any construction waste, big pieces of trash, or logs or stump grindings (unless previously agreed). Your load will typically arrive within one to five weeks, so plan ahead. If you do choose to pay for delivery, there is a possibility that it might arrive earlier.