Here in the South, we are blessed with abundant forests. In Georgia, about half are hardwood forests like oaks and maples. The rest are pines, mostly slash and loblolly. In fact, we have so many pines we jokingly refer to our home as Loblolly Woods, the way a duke or an earl might name his estate. And with all of those pine trees, we're also blessed with an abundance of pine straw.
Pine straw is the preferred mulch in much of the state. Some folks prefer wood chips or other shredded organic matter; others prefer straight compost. But it's pine straw that gets most folk's vote due to its abundance, relatively low cost, and decorative properties. That deep crimson/rust color really enhances a bed or garden.
Today I mulched half of the garden. I first trimmed the tomato plants to get some of the lowest growth out of the way and off the ground. Then I pinched off all the suckers that had developed while I was gone last week. In case you're unfamiliar with this technique, you simply pinch off the new growth between the leaves and the main stem. You're basically getting rid of these non-productive side shoots to help the plant conserve its energy for bearing fruit.
Once I'd finished suckering the tomatoes, I spread the mulch around the plants in a semi-thin layer. Spreading pine straw is easy. I use the shaking method rather than the on-your-knees-to-spread-it method. Just grab a bunch in your hand then turn your hand back and forth like you're turning a door knob. The pieces go flying and easily scatter, giving you an even layer of straw. Then you can go back and tuck in under and around the plants.
Once the tomatoes were done, I did the same thing with the plot containing the cucumbers and eggplants. It took about two bales per plot, leaving me enough left over to do the other two plots later this weekend.
For now, I'm trading in my clippers and gloves for a spatula and a gin and tonic. With so much timber around us, we even prefer our cocktails to have a slight pine tree taste.
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