Beta Beta — hiring neighbors on Papalocal is new; what you see here is real, and it's still growing.
Weeding, mulching and planting Beta
Get a neighbor's help pulling weeds, spreading mulch and putting in flowers or small shrubs so your beds look cared for each season.
- How often
- Seasonal
- Where the work happens
- Outdoors
- Who it suits
- Often a good fit for a responsible teen
These open your Papalocal account. You'll be asked to log in or sign up first.
This is hands-in-the-dirt garden help: pulling weeds by the root, edging beds, spreading fresh mulch or pine straw, and setting in the annuals, bulbs or small shrubs you have picked out. It is the work that makes the front of a house look loved, and it takes more hours than people expect.
Gardeners who have run out of time, people whose knees no longer like kneeling, new owners who inherited beds they do not recognize, and sellers getting a house ready to list all ask for it. Some want one big spring push; others want a visit every few weeks.
A neighbor who gardens often knows what grows well on your street because it is growing in their own yard. Landscape design, tree planting, grading and irrigation installs belong to a landscaping business.
Also called: weeding service, garden weeding help, mulch installation, flower bed cleanup, spread mulch, help planting flowers.
What's usually included
- Pulling weeds from beds, borders and the cracks between pavers
- Cutting a clean edge along beds with a spade or edger
- Spreading mulch or pine straw evenly
- Planting flowers, bulbs, vegetables or small shrubs you have chosen
- Watering in anything newly planted
- Hauling off pulled weeds and empty bags
What to ask before you hire
- Who buys the mulch and plants, and who picks them up?
- Which beds, and is anything growing there that looks like a weed but is not?
- Pine straw, shredded mulch or rock, and how thick?
- Can they use your hose, wheelbarrow and garden tools?
- Do you want any weed killer used at all, or hand-pulling only?
- One visit, or several through the season?
Staying safe
- Wear gloves, since beds can hide thorns, broken glass, stinging insects and poison ivy.
- Lift mulch bags from the knees and use a wheelbarrow for anything you would otherwise carry across the yard.
- Before digging planting holes, ask about buried irrigation, cable and gas lines, and have the lines marked through your area's call-before-you-dig service for anything deep.
- If any weed killer is used, follow its label and keep kids and pets off the area for as long as it says.
Weeding, mulching and planting by town
Questions people ask
How thick should mulch be?
A couple of inches is a common target. Mulch piled too deep, especially against tree trunks and plant stems, can cause problems, so keep it even and pulled back from stems.
Do I have to buy the plants myself?
You can, or the neighbor can pick them up and you pay them back. Decide ahead of time who chooses the plants so there are no surprises on planting day.
How often do flower beds need weeding?
Every two to three weeks in the growing season keeps most weeds from going to seed. One big cleanup a season works too, but each one takes longer.
Can a teen help with weeding and mulch?
Yes, pulling weeds and spreading mulch are good teen jobs with a parent's okay. Power edgers and any chemicals are better left to an adult or done alongside one.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Gloves, a hand weeder, a hoe, a spade, a garden fork, a wheelbarrow and a kneeling pad cover most garden jobs.
- Learn the common weeds where you live and the plants people tend to grow, because pulling a customer's favorite perennial is the fastest way to lose them.
- Quote after you see the beds: price weeding by the time it takes and mulching by how much has to be moved, with materials agreed and paid for separately.
- Ask around about what garden help usually costs in your part of town so your number is fair to both sides.
- Before-and-after photos help the customer see the work and often bring in the next yard on the street.
- When you are not sure what a plant is, leave it in the ground and ask.
