Starting a vegetable garden can be a rewarding prospect for any homeowner. In addition to having fresh veggies on the ready, digging in the dirt has big health benefits. Though yanking out weeds might ...

In some areas of the country, the choice between mulching with pine needles and wood mulch is a tough one. Since the 1980s, pine straw has been the favorite mulch in the South. It is inexpensive, ...

Both pine straw or wood mulch make an excellent mulch for your garden depending on the situation. Here's how to decide when ...

Over the years, I’ve had many questions from readers about using pine straw as a mulch in the vegetable garden. Is it a good idea? Let’s cover some of the basics. Mulching is a long-established ...

Summer has definitely arrived. With temperatures reaching the high 90s and 100s every day, water is quickly lost from soils and plants. Evapotranspiration is the agricultural term for the total amount ...

With so many choices available at garden centers, how do you choose the best mulch material for your vegetable garden? Wood chips or pine bark? Or perhaps a synthetic material that will help trap ...

Mulch isn”t the most exciting garden topic — after all, what can you say about something that just lies on the ground? But savvy gardeners know that putting down a layer of wood chips, bark, straw or ...

If weeds are the bane of the gardener, mulch is the gardener's friend. Not only that, mulch can hold in moisture in dry times, and give a nice, tidy look to the garden. Let's start in the vegetable ...

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to print (Opens in new window) Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to ...

A. Does pine straw make a good mulch to use with tomato plants in a raised bed? — R. Jeffers, Virginia Beach Q. Like any mulch, pine straw has pros and cons. Among the pros: It’s lightweight and ...