Question
hi me and my wife want to put some mulch in the back yard up to the house and 3 feet away from it i have dug up the grass and just want to know whats the best way to do it i bought some stuff it looks like screen to prevent weeds and it lets the water go trough i think i need some thing to pack the dirt back down its kind of high please let me know thanks Steve.

Answer
Weed mats don't work. See previous answers to questions for more detail but in short after a few years the much begins to turn into soil and you end up with weeds growing on top of the weed barrier and when you pull them they pull up the mat.

I would simply recommend a good application of weed preventative or pre-emergent. One I have used is called by the trade name of PREEN. You apply this before mulching.

Best of Luck,
Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
Please check out my blogs and articles on landscape topics like this on my websites.
http://www.seanjmurphy.com
http://amenityarchitects.com