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#1
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using
pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie |
#2
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
The message
from "junkyardcat" contains these words: We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so They won't :-) Nor does veg grown in lovely rich home made compost taste of decayed vegetable matter, ancient manure or worms. Still, maybe you needn't mention worms and manure. Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Pine needles are a great mulch ime and slightly increase soil acidity, so they are particularly good around anything that enjoys acid soil; blueberries and strawberries for example. Janet |
#3
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
"junkyardcat" wrote in message ...
We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie Of course you can use pine needles, your veg will not taste of pine it will be great. |
#4
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
"junkyardcat" wrote in message ...
We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie Of course you can use pine needles, your veg will not taste of pine it will be great. |
#5
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
jam wrote in message om... "junkyardcat" wrote in message ... We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie Of course you can use pine needles, your veg will not taste of pine it will be great. Your husband is pulling your leg. Pine needles are acidic so you will have to monitor your soil's pH and be ready to add some lime. Another thing to do is run through the needles with the lawn mower before spreading around your plants. It makes them easier to spread around the plants and makes for a little denser layer. |
#6
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
jam wrote in message om... "junkyardcat" wrote in message ... We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie Of course you can use pine needles, your veg will not taste of pine it will be great. Your husband is pulling your leg. Pine needles are acidic so you will have to monitor your soil's pH and be ready to add some lime. Another thing to do is run through the needles with the lawn mower before spreading around your plants. It makes them easier to spread around the plants and makes for a little denser layer. |
#7
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
Pine needles are a good mulch in that they let rainwater run thru well,
look attractive, don't bring weed seed into the garden like hay does. Best of all, they have a chemical which inhibits seed germination, so is good for preventing weed seed from sprouting. So, don't put the needles on until your crop is well on it's way - you don't want your veggie germination inhibited! I like to use themon my ornamental plantings, and since they are slow to decompose, and thus don't add much organic matter to the soil, I like to put some compost on first, scratch it in a little, and then put on the needles. Lucky you to have them available - I have to scour the town for them, and often am raking them up in our local cemetery! Wendy (not Joe, he's the undergardener) junkyardcat wrote: We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie -- Joseph S. Larson 27 Arnold Road Pelham, MA 01002-9757 413-256-8256 http://myprofile.cos.com/larson358 |
#8
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
"junkyardcat" wrote in message ...
We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie If your soil pH is 6.5 or above, they will be great. If not, you may want to correct the mulch by adding lime or wood ash, I am guessing two lb of wood ash per 100 sqft, if you have 2 inches of mulch. As others have pointed out, this mulch will work only for established plants, if you plant seeds in pine needles, even if properly composted, they will not sprout. Too young seedlings will have similar problems. |
#9
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
Pine needles are a good mulch in that they let rainwater run thru well,
look attractive, don't bring weed seed into the garden like hay does. Best of all, they have a chemical which inhibits seed germination, so is good for preventing weed seed from sprouting. So, don't put the needles on until your crop is well on it's way - you don't want your veggie germination inhibited! I like to use themon my ornamental plantings, and since they are slow to decompose, and thus don't add much organic matter to the soil, I like to put some compost on first, scratch it in a little, and then put on the needles. Lucky you to have them available - I have to scour the town for them, and often am raking them up in our local cemetery! Wendy (not Joe, he's the undergardener) junkyardcat wrote: We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie -- Joseph S. Larson 27 Arnold Road Pelham, MA 01002-9757 413-256-8256 http://myprofile.cos.com/larson358 |
#11
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
"junkyardcat" wrote in message ...
We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie If your soil pH is 6.5 or above, they will be great. If not, you may want to correct the mulch by adding lime or wood ash, I am guessing two lb of wood ash per 100 sqft, if you have 2 inches of mulch. As others have pointed out, this mulch will work only for established plants, if you plant seeds in pine needles, even if properly composted, they will not sprout. Too young seedlings will have similar problems. |
#12
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Pine needles as mulch in veggie garden
Not a good idea. Pine needles have a chemical (I forget the name)
which retards growth. I learned this the hard way when I mulched my acid-loving blueberries with pine needles and wondered why they would not grow. Once I learned about the pine needles growth retarding properties I removed the mulch and replaced it with compost. Nice healthy blueberry bushes now. JMHO John On 4 Apr 2004 11:58:28 -0700, (simy1) wrote: "junkyardcat" wrote in message ... We are getting ready to plant our veggie garden. We are thinking of using pine needles to mulch around the plants to control weeds. Is this a good idea? My husband is afraid the veggies will taste like pine, but I don't think so Are pine needles a good mulch to use for veggie gardens? We have hundreds of pine trees on our land, so it's readily available. Thanks for your input Angie If your soil pH is 6.5 or above, they will be great. If not, you may want to correct the mulch by adding lime or wood ash, I am guessing two lb of wood ash per 100 sqft, if you have 2 inches of mulch. As others have pointed out, this mulch will work only for established plants, if you plant seeds in pine needles, even if properly composted, they will not sprout. Too young seedlings will have similar problems. |
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