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Planting with Organic Mulches: A Step-by-Step Guide

Organic mulches offer a range of benefits, from conserving moisture to controlling weeds. Organic mulches can include shredded wood mulch, pine needles, or even cardboard. In most cases it is easier to put the mulches down before planting instead of trying to spread the mulch around tender young plants.

Related Videos:
Using Plastic and Woven Landscape Fabric Mulch in the Garden
Planting Through Sheet Mulch
Organic Mulching Options
Why to Use (and Love) Mulch!
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Xeriscaping

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  • Mushrooms in Mulch
  • Pulling Straw Around Seedlings

Strawberry Jam

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  • Maximizing Your Garden with Straw Mulch
  • Daylily Basics
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Visit the Family Plot YouTube Channel

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This Week in the Garden

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Pruning Fire Blight From an Apple Tree

Fire Blight is a serious disease in apple trees. It is a bacterial infection and needs to be removed to keep the tree healthy. Peter Richards shows what fire blight looks like and then shows how to prune it out of an apple tree. He also talks about ways to prevent it.  >>Watch


Garden Notes
Why to Use (and Love) Mulch!
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Mulch can make your life as a gardener so much easier. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper gives four reasons why you should use mulch in your garden.  >>Watch

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Planting and Fertilizing an Organic Garden

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Gardening Expert Tonya Ashworth talks about planting an organic garden and then fertilizing it. Unless you are selling your produce to others, how you define organic is totally up to you.  As for soil preparation get a soil test. This will tell you how much nutrient you need to add.  To add nutrients you can use compost, bone meal, grass clippings, leaves and other things.  >>Watch
  • Organic Mulching Options
  • Organic Gardening

Planting Through Sheet Mulch

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Sheet mulch is a practical way to help control weeds, conserve moisture, and reduce garden maintenance. With most mulches – including sheet mulches – you want to spread the mulch before planting.  Once the mulch is in place, planting can begin directly through the surface.   >>Watch
  • Using Plastic and Woven Landscape Fabric Mulch in the Garden
  • Organic Mulching Options 

Planting an Herb and Flower Container Garden

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Joellen Dimond shows how to plant a herb and flower container garden. She starts by using soil moist crystals which trap water and slowly release it back into the soil. This extra water makes it so you do not need to water as often. Then she plants the herbs.  >>Watch
  • Container Flower Garden
  • Planting an Herb Garden

Organic Mulching Options

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Organic mulching is a practical and effective method for improving garden health and reducing maintenance. By applying materials like pine straw, wood mulch, or even cardboard, gardeners can enhance soil quality, suppress weed growth, and retain moisture — all of which support healthy plant growth.  >>Watch
  • Using Plastic and Woven Landscape Fabric Mulch in the Garden
  • Newspaper Mulch
  • Kinds of Mulch

Summer Flowering Woody Perennials

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Many popular shrubs bloom in the spring, but there are shrubs that give a long show of blooms in the summer. UT/TSU Extension Agent Celeste Scott talks about several different kinds of summer blooming shrubs: abelia, buddleja (butterfly bush), Hydrangea paniculata, vitex, rose of Sharon, and crape myrtle.  >>Watch
  • Common Hydrangeas
  • Annuals and Perennials for the Garden
  • How to Prune Shrubs

Using Sheet Mulch in the Garden

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king Low-Sugar Strawberry
Freezer Jam

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Managing Squirrel Activity in Home Gardens

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Best Landscape Flowers for Tennessee

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 Best Blueberry for Where You Live

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Growing Cucumber

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Looking for more garden info?
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Viewer Questions

How do we control leaf-footed bugs in our fig tree?

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Leaf-footed bugs can damage plants by sucking plant juices. While this usually does not harm the tree, it can damage the fruit. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Celeste Scott talks about several ways to control the leaf-footed bug without insecticides.  >>Watch

How do I prevent mildew in my flower garden?

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Many flowers get mildew and start to look bad towards the end of summer. This is natural and the plants generally will tolerate it. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Celeste Scott tells what to do when plants get mildew and identifies a few ways to reduce the problem.  >>Watch

Can I grow blueberries in a pot?

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Yes, you can! Depending on how large they get you may need a big pot. Peter Richards gives some tips on how to be successful with blueberry plants in a pot. >>Watch

Can cucumbers be pollinated without a bee?

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You can manually pollinate your cucumbers. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Celeste Scott tells how to do it.  >>Watch

How do you lower the pH in a lawn?

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There are a few options for lowering the pH of soil. Several options are given.  >>Watch


More Questions & Answers


  • How do you get rid of celandine?
  • Is there something that will kill creeping Charlie in strawberries?
  • Why are my hostas yellowing?
  • Can I prune my loropetalum without killing it?
  • When and how should I up-pot my magnolia cuttings?
  • Are there shade-tolerant vegetables?
  • What is this plant that came up in my garden? A: Cutleaf Coneflower
Other Questions and Answers
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Content Copyright 2015-2025 Family Plot Garden & Mid-South Public Communications Foundation

  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search