The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-29
The Value of Pine Straw in the
Southern Garden

For the twenty years that we have been
interested in gardening there has not been
a year that we have not used pine straw
freely, for one purpose or another, and
we must say we would hardly know how
to carry on a garden through all the en-
tire year, without liberal supply of it.
We are aware that there are in all prob
ability, thousands of gardeners who have
gardened to their satisfaction without the
aid even of a basket of straw; but we can
not help thinking that they missed
great deal in being ignorant of the many
useful purposes that this handy and cheap
material serves.
AS a material for mulching in the seed
beds and in the open ground. as a protec-.
tor from frost, as a material for keeping
certain plats of soil cool until midsummer,
when crops of certain late crops are to be
started, there is nothing better and cheap
er than pine straw where it is to be had
in any reasonable distance from the gar
den We have always been more than
willing to devote several days in Novem-
Der or December and again in January,
to laying in a good supply of pine straw
for the several uses we have found in in
valuable for. In the corners of the gar
den large poles were made over which
few rough planks were placed to keep 1t
from getting wet. A good pile was placed
handy to the Irish potato plat, and in
planting this crop, a free sprinkling of
straw was put over the potatoes before
covering with straw. This has the cf-
feet of keeping the soil loose enough to
help the young sprouts break through
the soil, however dry it may have become.
Later on, too, it helped to keep the ground
moist about the potatoes when dry
weather was protracted
In the absence of an abundant supply of
cold frames. pine straw can be made very
useful in protecting from heavy frosts or
severe freezing all these hardy and half
hardy plants that are sown in open seed
beds late in the fall, with view to having
large plants to set out as soon as the Sc
we're weather is over-plants, for instance,
such as cabbage, onions, celery, beets, let
tuce and several others. Such plants are
readily protected, through any hard freeze
by spreading the dry light pine straw over
until the weather has moderated.
How valuable pine straw is in the
| strawberry patch is certainly known TO
those who have had any extended expert
ence in the culture of strawberries.
Another use for pine straw that we
| suspect has not occurred to many is IN
keeping a certain area of open-ground
| seed beds, including any cold frames that
| become vacant in February or early
March, cool until midsummer when the
| late cron celery seed and cabbage rs
sown. After the latest hard freeze in
January if a thick coat of pine straw, one
to two feet deep, is placed upon that por-
| ton of the SOIL that is desired to be saved
| for seed beds until summer, and while the
| soil is hard frozen, It will be found that
| the tennerature of the soil will be a num-
| her of degrees cooler in June and July
than nearby soil not so treated and besides
| nitric acid in ample supply Is accumu-
| lated under the straw during the several
| months that It is kept covered. In June
| ana July when the pine straw is raked
| aside and the beds prepared and some 70
| cabbage or celery or onions open viii sec
| a ouiek growth of plants that would not
he seen in soil that had been left exposed
Ali the time TO the hot sun and beating
rains Especially for preserving a SUIT
able seed bed for the late crop of celery
and onions Is this plan worth the little
trouble that il requires to preserve 1t.
FOR mulching around the newly sci
| nenper. egg plant and choice tomato
| pIants a two-horse load Of pine straw is
| worth dollaes-we won't say how many
| Tor fear We might be regarded as exag-
! e,erating-a thing we shall always avoid
| doing whenever practicable.
plants set out in midsummer are greatly
heIped by n big double handful OF straw
placed loosely about them just after
watering.
| about the time of the last working. keeI
down the grass and weeds and lengtner
the bearing season oftentimes two oil
Have YOU never found pine straw o
any value in your garden or orchard
Think about II.