June Newsletter

Mulching Around Your Landscape
Matt Rodriguez, Extension Agent, Horticulture

Many people mulch their beds every year or every season or so. I enjoy a nice freshly mulched garden bed, although I feel like it goes so fast. I use a mix of pine bark and hardwood mulches in my personal beds. There are so many options for mulching your beds.

A few examples are straw, hardwood, pine bark, pine straw, lawn clippings, and leaves.

Basically it boils down to two different types: Organic and Inorganic. Organic would be like the types I listed above that break down over time, feeding the soil and providing habitat for beneficial organisms. Downsides to Organic is the need to replenish once or twice a season. Inorganic is the opposite, but you lose the organic matter that gets added to the soil. You also may run into increased difficulty when weeding or replanting. Inorganic Options include gravel, crushed rock, and lava rock.

There are some decisions to make when deciding what type of mulch you want to use. You might have a preference for aesthetics. I do not like to use dyed mulches. I like natural ground mulch. Like I said I use a mix of hardwood and pine mulches. You should also think of compaction. How easy is it to weed and work around it? I’m starting to lean more towards pine bark mulch as It is usually bigger shavings and nuggets and can be moved easily when I have to pull a million sprigs of Bermuda grass out of my garden, But also think about how water and oxygen can move through the mulch. Another facet when applying mulch is to consider it’s resistant to wash away or runoff. If you spend two hours laying and smoothing out mulch just for it to wash away, You’d be pretty frustrated. There are border materials you could utilize around our mulch to help prevent this, but that depends on things like aesthetics, accessibility, price point, and everything else. Generally, most Mulch will stay where you put it, for the most part.

It’s important to remember that organic mulches like leaves and lawn clippings can clump together over time and create a barrier. They should be composted beforehand. As with any of the organic mulches. Make sure you get it from a reputable source. You do not want to be introducing weeds into your garden unintentionally.

In a nutshell, research and pick out a mulch to try. Its a quick and easy way to beautify your landscape and provide a benefit to your plants. It’s up to you what mulch you want to use and what you like. Don’t be afraid to ask other gardeners and landscapers where they source their mulch. Most would be happy to tell you!

Announcing Our Summer Intern

Jacob Hanlon is completing an Extension internship this summer with the Burke County Center.

An Extension summer intern works with Extension personnel to deliver hands-on, educational programs. Job shadowing and mentoring help interns learn about the mission and work of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

“Extension makes a positive difference in the community every day. We provide educational programs that connect communities with research-based information. Our internship program is another way we help prepare students for challenging and rewarding careers in food, agriculture, natural resources, and family and consumer sciences” said Dr. Richard Bonanno, previous Associate Dean of the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of NC State Extension.

Hanlon is a senior from NC State University majoring in Communications, and is a native of Marion.

It's Watermelon Season!

Tips on choosing a watermelon:

Look for melons that are heavy for their size and have a firm rind. Remember, watermelon is mostly made of water. So if it feels light, that means your main ingredient is lacking.
Turn the melon over and look at it's underside, which sits on the ground.
This field spot should be yellow or cream colored, indicating the watermelon was allowed to ripen in the field before harvesting. If it is white or pale green the melon was harvested too early.
Watermelons do not continue to ripen after they have been removed from the vine, so they should be harvested when they are ready to eat. Rely on what you see to help you choose the best watermelon.

Minimize Risk With Good Fences
Damon Pollard, Extension Agent, Livestock

Imagine traveling down a gravel road and stopping, while your neighbor moves his cows across the road. It’s okay; you’re not in a hurry. Those days are gone. That gravel road is now a 2 or 4 lane highway and the drivers are doing seventy with a cell phone on their ears. Livestock do get on the roads, and accidents and lawsuits do follow, so it's a good idea to minimize your risk.

Consider “bull-proof” fences, locked gates, frequent checks of fences and livestock, and liability insurance, as part of your risk management plan. Normally, woven wire or board fences are used for farm boundaries. However, hi-tensile smooth wire and electrified fences have complicated things. All fences should be readily visible to animals and they should be acclimated to electric fences before they are turned out.

Dogs will sometimes run livestock – especially young animals – through fences. Relying on one strand of electric fence next to a highway is not “reasonable care”. Good boundary fences are essential.Gates should be locked, especially near highways. Hooking a chain on a nail won’t stop children or irresponsible people from entering or leaving the gate open. If the cows get out, it is your problem. It is still a good idea to check fences frequently, for fallen trees or other breaches of the fence.

Finally, check with your insurance agent to determine if you are insured against an accident of this sort. It is unwise not to protect your assets against unfortunate accidents, and doing all you can to prevent them might help you to sleep better.

North Carolina Landscape Contractor:
Online Webinar
Luke Owen, Extension Agent, Commercial Horticulture for Buncombe County

Join us for a online workshop to help fulfill your NC Landscape Contractor Business credit requirement!

When: June 5th, 2025 from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Where: Online! This workshop will be a live webinar hosted on Zoom. (Once registered, you will be sent the Zoom link and also have access to the link via Eventbrite).
Cost: $20.00

Get more information and register on Eventbrite