Tag Archives: compost

All about Mulch, and how it’s Different from Compost

March 21, 2011 1

by Susan Harris
It’s spring, and the local gardening email groups are abuzz with questions about mulch, especially:  What to use?  But before we get to what,  let’s look at why we mulch …

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What to do with your dead leaves – a roundup of opinions

November 17, 2010 1

by Susan Harris

This time of year you see a lot of “eco-friendly” gardening advice about dead leaves and I wholeheartedly endorse the bottom line – that it’s crazy to send …

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Organic Mulches for Fall

November 2, 2010 1

by Susan Harris
Are your beds and borders mulched and ready for winter?  Mulches do a lot to moderate soil temperature, which means preventing freeze-thaw cycles that can cause plants to heave …

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Maryland Extension Hort Guru Lew Shell on Soil

October 31, 2010 0

by Susan Harris
Remember the lovely kitchen garden on the grounds of the Governor’s residence in Annapolis?  It’s used not just for teaching kids to grow food and, …

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Compost Guru Frank Gouin Answers all our Questions

January 24, 2010 9

Posted by Susan Harris
I’d heard Dr. Frank Gouin’s name mentioned almost reverentially for years and wasn’t about to miss his winter workshop at Homestead yesterday.    So without further ado, here’s what I learned.

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Dead Leaf Debate, Part 2 – Chopping and Composting

November 19, 2009 7

Posted by Susan Harris

[Part 1 covered  whether to remove dead leaves in the garden.]

If you’ve decided to do something positive with your dead leaves (as opposed to, say, sending them …

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Much debate over what to do with dead leaves

November 13, 2009 11

Posted by Susan Harris

It all started when an article called “Leaf it Be!” was distributed via email list to gardeners around Metro DC.   In it, the author comes to the rescue …

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