Sunday, November 8, 2009

Need Mulch?

Laying "SodFather" mulch around fruit trees Nov. 1

Tim Dundon "SodFather" (626) 794-1351 is who we call when we need mulch. Why mulch? Well... there are a several reasons. Mulch protects the soil from erosion,
prevents weed growth, conserves moisture, reducing the need for frequent waterings, maintains a more even soil temperature, and reduces compaction from the impact of heavy rains. Be sure not add more than 2 inches of mulch around your plants in fall/winter to reduce fungi and diseases. In the spring/summer you may add up to 4 inches of mulch. Also be sure that the mulch is not touching the stem or trunk of your trees to prevent rot or diseases.

Since Eco-Man Bingwa and I love to reuse everything, we take our empty soil bags to pick-up mulch from Tim. Those soil bags sure come in handy!

Tim Dundon blurb in Los Angeles Magazine Homegrown Edition October 09
How About Them Apples?

In Tim Dundon's World, everyone wins - He clears away the unwanted manure and the organic wood shavings that serve as bedding for the horses at Altadena Stables and turns them into compost so powerful, he's dubbed it "craptonite." He practically gives away the fertilizer, which attracts worms and microbes as it cures ("it's a continours party in there," he says). Come to his place with bags in hand and hel'll be happy to accept a small donation. Order a delivery and he charges for drive time, but the compost is free. The way Dundon sees it, he's helping "the army of people creating their own food. Its time we got an economy that revolves around life instead of money."

Many of us respect and adore the "SodFather." Just in case you're not looking to drive to Altadena or don't need a truck load of mulch...
check out the list below:

Free Mulch: Available Locations

San Pedro
1400 N. Gaffey Street
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

Lake View Terrace
11950 Lopez Canyon Rd., At Paxton Street
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 6:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

West Valley
16600 W. Roscoe Blvd.
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 6:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

East LA
2649 E. Washington Blvd.
Time of operation : 9:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday, & Sunday.

West LA
6000 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Time of Operation: 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m Seven days a week.

Silver Lake
3000 Gilroy Street
Time of Operation: 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m Seven days a week.

More to come...

Have a positive & productive week...

~m

7 comments:

WarreNacho said...

What are your thoughts on using the free L.A. City mulch in the veggie garden?

I picked up a truckload last week - it seems ok. It is composted, and I haven't had any weeds from it. Yet.


-Warren

Anarchy in the Garden said...

Great informative post amiga! For larger quantities Long Beach has a program called "Operation Mulch-A-Lot!" Isn't that cute? The name alone should make people want to mulch... Beside all of the wonderful reasons you have listed for us of course!

-Adriana

Kat H. said...

What are your thoughts on blended gardens -- I am a fan of this. and it seems to be catching on with professional landscape designers.

peaceful petal said...

Warren: Was glad to give you my personal opinion on the free city mulch :)

Adriana: "Operation Mulch-A-Lot!" is too cute! With a name like that, who wouldn't want to mulch?

Mom of Three: Thanks for intriguing me with your mentioning of "blended gardens" I had to do some research, and it sure looks & sounds like it benefits & beautifies the gardens! It reminds me of permaculture &/or interplanting, which we practice around here :)

Happy Gardening Everyone!

Anonymous said...

I called yesterday, Wednesday, and was told to stop by today, Thursday Nov 19, at a specific time (which I arrived promptly as scheduled) and was left hanging. I called a few times but never heard back. Spent an hour in Altadena and came back empty handed :(

peaceful petal said...

Oh, NO!!! Sooo sorry to hear that. It's not like Mr. Tim to do that. How much mulch do you need? I have a few bags we can spare :)

Shatbox said...

Just like to chime in and add to the list. The city of LA has another location to pick up Griffith Park Compost and LA County Mulch not listed in any of their materials- the Million Trees LA location at 850 N. Mission Rd. Just sign in with the guy there and load. Hours are relatively consistent: Tues and Thurs from 10-4. It wasn't even open until I bugged them enough.

On a separate note- I didn't think twice to use the County mulch until I realized how much crap like trash bits & biosolids (up for debate)were in there. I know they work hard and companies like Kellogs use biosolids, but ever since I read Gaia's Garden I realized I just need to build the soil myself- except for the Griffith Park compost (I'm not sure of what goes into the county mulch so I use the Griffith stuff)