The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MULCH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
U
L
C
H
More clues leading to the result MULCH
- Finally wheel in lots of compost
- Ground cover often hides first of leaves
- Consider — having left off central heating — bed cover
- A great deal’s left buried that is good for the garden
- A lot of covering left spread on garden?
- Poured into a lot, liquid compost
- Tanbark, e.g., left in a lot
- Landscaping material left in a lot
- Fertilise a lot to protect first of lettuce
- Piece of lumber in a lot of tanbark
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "spread on garden" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case spread on garden = mulch.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MULCH mean?
MULCH noun- Any material used to cover the top layer of soil to protect, insulate, or decorate it, or to discourage weeds or retain moisture.
- A material used as mulch, as a decorative redwood bark mulch.
- To apply mulch.
- To turn into mulch.