Country Lore: Paper Mulch

You can use leftover paper and junk mail to mulch your garden like this reader.

By Carol Ahrens
February/March 2004

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I grew tired of junk mail and other paper cluttering my office, so I bought a shredder, shredded most of the paper and put it in the garden for mulch. When watered down, it makes a great paper mulch and has an added benefit: The birds love the shredded paper for nest building. Shortly after putting out the shredded mulch, we had two pairs of robins and a couple of cardinals build nests with the mulch in the nearby maple trees.

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Carol Ahrens
Portage, Wisconsin

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  • Leeann Coleman 7/15/2011 8:36:19 PM

    I have always shredded my junk mail and computer paper for use in the garden. Works great around the strawberries - white paper, especially, makes the berries really easy to spot at picking time. I also mix it with the mulch and peat moss I use to mound the potatoes - good free filler! And it biodegrades down to nothing.

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