The fabric or plastic is laid on top of the soil and then covered with a layer of bark chips. The barrier between the soil and the mulch also prevents any improvement in the soil condition and makes planting additional plants more difficult. For sources of mulch Check under mulches or garden centers or nurseries in the Yellow Pages. Your community may also have wood chips from the removal of street trees that are available free to residents. On the farm Farmers use mulches in many ways.
Conservation tillage is a common practice that creates a mulch on the soil surface.
Unlike the once common practice of plowing all crop residue into the soil, conservation tillage leaves the crop residue on top of the soil. These pieces of corn stalk, straw, or bean stems help protect the soil against wind and water erosion. Corn crops harvested for the grain return large amounts of residue to the soil surface and are more effective in preventing soil erosion than crops with less residue such as soybeans. Mulching is a common practice among strawberry growers in northern climates. In this situation, mulch is used to protect the crop during the winter and to help prevent early blooming of the plants.