I have seen pea gravel which comes in different colors. I have also seen shredded tires used in gardens. I have a large commercial landscape supplier that allows anyone to walk into the showroom and look at the various fillers. Maybe there is one in your area?
This year i am not placing mulch on one test bed. I have decided to use partially decomposed old leaves. I dont know if this will work but so far so good
I only know about vegetable gardens but this method would work for any plant but unfortunately a little impractical for "row" crops. On a non-windy day; place newspapers (not glossy ads) completely around the plant stem, 1' - 1-1/2' or so & at least 3-4 pages thick. Tear each page about half-way across the center & surround the stem. Alternate the tear(s) to "snuggle" the stem & hold down with "* clean" straw or a little dirt. I plant 35-40 tomato plants, peppers, cabbage, & cauliflower each season and it works wonders for three (3) reasons; 1) Tha paper & Straw will hold in the moisture, 2) Worms love it & work the soil for you & 3) most importantly, it keeps the weeds at bay. BTW; In case your wondering; most, if not all, newspaper ink used today is vegetable based so it's earth, plant & human friendly!
* all straw will have weed seeds so try to acquire straw that at least looks clean!
I use a combination of materials for my gardens. If it is a new area I place a layer of cardboard, making sure the boxes over lap to help keep the weeds out. I then place newspaper sections in buckets of water. After it has soaked up a lot of water (the soaking was my 8 year old grandson's idea. He got tired of chasing the paper) I place the paper with the fold of the section facing up. This helps it lay flater and block more light from the weeds to keep them away. I will then cover the paper with a thick layer of leaves. I finish off with a thick layer of natural wood chips. The wood chips can usually be gotten for free from a local tree trimming service. As far as I know, the natural wood chips can't be purchased at home improvement centers. The news paper, leaves, and wood chips keep the moisture in, weeds out, and decomposes to enrich the ground for next year. If you are working around plants already planted you can soak shredded paper to cover closer to the stem and leave out the cardboard layer. I have found with the thicker mulching, what weeds you do get, pull out with little effort on my part.
PS. The natural wood chips don't wash away like red mulch. They will decompose so they don't have to be removed every year and replaced. Just start the next year by layering newspapers, leaves, and natural wood chips. My family makes fun of me searching the neighborhood for bagged leaves in early spring. (Florida's fall/winter)
Somehow my house and garden got tiny gnats that killed my fuchsia plant and fly everywhere. I have tried ALL the Web recommendations - soap and oil dishes, sand in th...
See more
Growing our first garlic, should we wait until the leaves are drying out before we pick it? Husband picked first one today along with our first potatoes.
Hi everyone, I have mice in my garden destroying my vegetables and I have also noticed them in the barn and shed. Please can someone tell me how to prevent them from ...
See more
I have seen pea gravel which comes in different colors. I have also seen shredded tires used in gardens. I have a large commercial landscape supplier that allows anyone to walk into the showroom and look at the various fillers. Maybe there is one in your area?
Pine straw
This year i am not placing mulch on one test bed. I have decided to use partially decomposed old leaves. I dont know if this will work but so far so good
I only know about vegetable gardens but this method would work for any plant but unfortunately a little impractical for "row" crops. On a non-windy day; place newspapers (not glossy ads) completely around the plant stem, 1' - 1-1/2' or so & at least 3-4 pages thick. Tear each page about half-way across the center & surround the stem. Alternate the tear(s) to "snuggle" the stem & hold down with "* clean" straw or a little dirt. I plant 35-40 tomato plants, peppers, cabbage, & cauliflower each season and it works wonders for three (3) reasons; 1) Tha paper & Straw will hold in the moisture, 2) Worms love it & work the soil for you & 3) most importantly, it keeps the weeds at bay. BTW; In case your wondering; most, if not all, newspaper ink used today is vegetable based so it's earth, plant & human friendly!
* all straw will have weed seeds so try to acquire straw that at least looks clean!
they use it in play grounds at some of the schools in my area. It is very safe.
I use a combination of materials for my gardens. If it is a new area I place a layer of cardboard, making sure the boxes over lap to help keep the weeds out. I then place newspaper sections in buckets of water. After it has soaked up a lot of water (the soaking was my 8 year old grandson's idea. He got tired of chasing the paper) I place the paper with the fold of the section facing up. This helps it lay flater and block more light from the weeds to keep them away. I will then cover the paper with a thick layer of leaves. I finish off with a thick layer of natural wood chips. The wood chips can usually be gotten for free from a local tree trimming service. As far as I know, the natural wood chips can't be purchased at home improvement centers. The news paper, leaves, and wood chips keep the moisture in, weeds out, and decomposes to enrich the ground for next year. If you are working around plants already planted you can soak shredded paper to cover closer to the stem and leave out the cardboard layer. I have found with the thicker mulching, what weeds you do get, pull out with little effort on my part.