The Spruce

Mulch Madness: Get Ready to Garden

Welcome to The Spruce’s Mulch Madness!

From arming yourself with some of the basics (what USDA hardiness zone are you, really?

Day 1: Let’s Get Ready to Garden!

The Spruce’s Mulch Madness

The Spruce

Day 7: Raise Championship Plants

This garden could go all the way!

So how do you do that?

Person picking flowers from a garden

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Meg MacDonald

overhead view of window box planted with seedlings on wooden table with clay pots, red gloves, and potted herbs on wooden deck

A tiller we recommend on an orange background

Herbs cultivated in balcony garden

Vegetable garden designed with different plants and growing in raised garden beds

Person mulching flower beds

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Meg MacDonald

Plant sprouting from soil closeup

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

A person spreads fertilizer using the Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader

Bunch of six tomato seedlings indoors by a windowsill.

Person digging in the lawn

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Getty Images

Lawn mower mowing grass

Clover lawn

Bag of Pennington One Step Complete for Dense Shade Areas grass seed displayed on green grass

Japanese knotweed shoots popping up in a lawn.

Container garden

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Meg MacDonald

White and clay pots holding potted flowers and plants for container garden

pink begonias in the shade

A raised garden we recommend on a blue background

Pulled out view of a barn apartment with a canopy bed and velvet sofa

Vegetable garden with kale and companion plants

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Autumn Wood

companion planting vegetables

Vegetable garden with flowers, vegetables and herbs mixed in raised beds

rose among companion plants

An assortment of trowels on a brick patio

Person applying weed killer to dandelions

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Sarah Crowley

dandelion closeup

Purple and brown vegetable leaves with holes from pests closeup

English ivy with yellow-green flower clusters covering cement wall

A bottle of Green Gobbler 20% Vinegar Weed Killer outside on stone pavers

Person picking tomatoes from a garden

The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha / Getty Images

mulch in a flower bed

Rainpoint 2-Zone Sprinkler Timer for Garden Hose attached to water source

The Stanley Fatmax Professional Grade Water Hose rolled up on a hose reel

Vegetable garden plants designed and growing in wide rows in raised garden bed