Get Free Mulch! // LA Urban Gardening

Do you garden? Do you want to start one but find that your soil is mostly clay and dries up and cracks? Mulch is the answer. 

And you can get it for free in ten different locations in LA on Fridays! AND you can get free compost on Thursdays. 

The City of Los Angeles Sanitation Bureau runs a program that's Closing The Loop, taking green waste and turning it into mulch and compost which can be picked up at these locations:

Boyle Heights
Address: 850 N Mission Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Thursdays (compost) and Fridays (mulch)
Hours of operation: Tue/Thu 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. & 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
East L.A.
Address: 2649 E Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Wednesdays
Hours of operation: Fri-Sun 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
Elysian Valley
Address: 3000 Gilroy St. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Mondays and Thursdays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
Lake View Terrace
Address: 11950 Lopez Canyon Rd. San Fernando Valley, CA 91342
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Everyday (except weekend)
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
North Hills
Address: 16600 Roscoe Pl. North Hills, CA 91343
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Wednesdays and Fridays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
North Hollywood
Address: 5344 Vineland Ave. San Fernando Valley, CA 91601
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Mondays and Thursdays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
San Pedro
Address: 1400 N Gaffey St. San Pedro, CA 90731
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Fridays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
Sun Valley
Address: 12455 Wicks St. San Fernando Valley, CA 91352
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions
Van Nuys
Address: 15800 Victory Blvd. San Fernando Valley, CA 91406
Entrance South of Densmore Ave. Intersection
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Mondays
Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 7:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.How to get there: Directions
West L.A.
Address: 6001 Bowcroft St. Los Angeles, CA 90016
Mulch Delivered to this Location: Thursdays
Hours of operation: Everyday 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.How to get there: Directions

I'm no urban homesteader, but I do have a modest little garden in my apartment complex parking lot which needs mulch. Which is why I'll be stopping by the Boyle Heights location today, ready to get a coupla shopping bags full, which should be enough for my 3' by 7' little plot o' land. I've also been trying to us shredded paper as mulch, but it just doesn't look very nice. One of my friends, upon seeing the garden in the dark, asked "Why did you sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it?" Well, that's not so much a problem as the fact that it just doesn't seem to be working so well.

I've been shy about sharing my haphazard little garden, but no more! Exciting things are happening and I'll be documenting more of my gardening over at my food blog in the coming weeks. Los Angeles is so good to gardeners. Next stop: more public space reclamation.