Using Newspaper as Mulch

BBG staff made good use of old issues of the Daily News in the Fragrance and Shakespeare gardens this week. Newspaper makes an excellent, weed-suppressing mulch material, and BBG horticulturists have been using it in different parts of the garden for several years. In addition to inhibiting weeds, it can also be used to keep prolific garden plants from encroaching beyond their desired location, says Jennifer Williams, curator of both gardens.

“Mints and lemon balm, for instance, will spread into beds where I don’t really want them. The newspaper keeps runners from sprouting and seeds from germinating, and I don’t have to spray chemicals,” says Williams. It’s also a good way to convert a patch of turf into a flower or vegetable bed without having to spray.

To mulch with newspaper in your home garden, lay down a layer about five pages thick, water lightly to keep it from blowing away, cover with topsoil, and then plant your beds. The newspaper layer will biodegrade into the soil in time allowing roots to penetrate and moisture and soil microbes to pass through.