I have a friend who just throws them in the yard and the birds help themselves. When you clean the birdhouse out each fall you can see what they chose…
I saw a bird try to pick up a wad of dog hair I had thrown in the yard one day. It was a nuthatch and he pulled and pulled and finally gave up - it was too wet and matted…
I like the mulching and tying ideas, too! I had forgotten about using old fabric for holding tomato vines up to the stakes...