Question: My neighbor says mulch will reduce my weed problems. How does that reduce weeds? What exactly is mulch? What is the best mulch to use? Answer: Mulch is any material used to cover the soil ...

One of the best natural mulches for vegetable gardens is straw. Straw is a by product of grain crops and is made up of the dead stalks and leaves left behind after farmers harvest the grain. It can be ...

A rose by any other name may still be a rose, but mulches need defining. There are 17 different materials considered on the University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management website, and ...

This is a preview. Log in through your library . Abstract A primary challenge of managing vegetable production on a small land base is the maintenance and building of soil quality. Previous studies ...

There are many times people will call with questions about what they can do to help their trees grow better (cultural practices) or what they can use to help keep weeds out of the garden.One of my ...

I stood in a Jeromesville store buying a pack of gum a few years ago and saw a friend who reads my column. He asked me about what happens to the black plastic you put over gardens in the spring. In a ...

Spring has barely cleared its throat, the soil is still cool, and yet the garden center parking lot is already packed. Bags ...

Few things frustrate a gardener more than seeing their garden overtaken by weeds. The daunting task of battling back weeds can also discourage new gardeners from even starting a garden in the first ...

Mulch is a material used to reduce water loss from soil. Lately, it has not been unusual to question whether mulch is useful on dry soil. That may be an issue in the short term if the mulch is ...

It took a little while for spring rains to really start up, but when they did start, they really came on strong! The spring rain is great for landscape plants and vegetables, but they also increase ...

Have you ever wondered why some gardens bounce back so quickly after winter while others struggle? The secret often comes ...