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Mulch is "a layer of material (wood chips, straw, leaves, etc.) placed around plants to hold moisture, prevent weed growth, and enrich or sterilize the soil."
The gang at HowStuffWorks explains the benefits of mulching, e.g. providing nutrients to your garden while saving you time during the year. "Best of all," they add, "there are now numerous types of mulching materials available to match your gardening needs. Gardeners can choose which type of mulch they like best and set to work laying mulch as a foundation to a healthy garden."
A wide variety of materials can be used in the mulching process but TreeHugger may have found the coolest of all, chai: "Some people's gardens have the slight aroma of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Their gardens are mulched with recycled Chai or tea. 'Chai mulch' (heh) is the invention of Ken Foster, founder of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping in Santa Cruz, California. He learned that the local tea factory was trashing dumpsters filled with oragnic chai waste every day. He was inspired to transform it into mulch."
