This was the scene this morning at the Northway mulch/compost/wood-chip operation. Very impressive!

So out came the smart phone for photos and a 20-minute video, too.

Mulch v. Compost

I drove up the hill toward the observatory to find plenty of fresh-chopped leaf mulch and, just to the left, last year’s leaf mulch that has thoroughly decomposed. That decomposed stuff is now compost, which offers many but not all the benefits of mulch.

Both mulch and compost conserve water, moderate soil temperature, and add organic matter to the soil, but only mulch (organic matter that hasn’t decomposed) prevents weeds. Compost, while an excellent ingredient IN the soil, might as well be soil to the neighborhood weeds – it provides an excellent place for them to sprout.

This year I’m using wood chips, too, on my paths. Looks great.