A. Does pine straw make a good mulch to use with tomato plants in a raised bed? — R. Jeffers, Virginia Beach Q. Like any mulch, pine straw has pros and cons. Among the pros: It’s lightweight and ...

In some areas of the country, the choice between mulching with pine needles and wood mulch is a tough one. Since the 1980s, pine straw has been the favorite mulch in the South. It is inexpensive, ...

In last week’s column, I shared a reader’s enthusiasm for using pine straw in the garden/landscape. Since then, I’ve received several emails questioning why it was not mentioned that, for better or ...

Late Sunday afternoon the kids and I headed out to our back yard with the rakes. We have a ton, not exaggerating, a ton of pine straw or as northerners call it pine needles. We save money every year ...

Wood mulch and wood chips will mat down to make a firm but spongy surface for your garden paths and around playsets. Pine straw is too slippery to walk on, so skip it when mulching these high-traffic ...

Right under our nose (and probably in your yard) is a great gardening tool that we have historically and culturally shunned. Pine straw. Raked up and often disposed of, this natural/ organic/ ...

For Thanksgiving, Christmas and other dinners of importance, the Columbia McNultys always had creamed celery. When I asked why that instead of something fancier, I learned that my grandmother thought ...