Hi LL, nope I don't think the Blue Mist would make it, it's good to 0 Degrees. This picture I've shown way too many times, but shows the mulch, won't last much longer with the way things are growing. I'm with girlgroupgirl, try to keep water bill down, it just seems a must here in the south if we want any kind of garden or growth. I'll be getting more this month. I'm glad your husband is doing better, will say a prayer that he'll be home for Christmas with you! (No, I don't miss Montana a bit except for the beauty!) ogrose

I have two little dogs that i let out to our small back yard covered with pine bark mulch. I also have several fairly messy trees, an Oak and a Magnolia. I'm located in central Florida. The dogs don't mind the pine bark mulch, but I do, for two reasons: 1) It is difficult to suck up the leaves without sucking up the mulch. 2) The pine bark disintegrates into smaller chunks and slivers and gets stuck to the dogs, bringing the mess into the house. The combination of not being able to clean up the tree debris from the mulch, and the mulch breaking down creates a full time house cleaning challenge. I am considering a smallish smooth stone, like a small river rock (slightly larger than pea gravel) for the following reasons: 1) I expect it would be easier to pick up the tree debris from the rock with the mulcher/vacuum I already own. 2) My mulcher will not suck up the rocks. 3) The rock itself will not create litter brought into the house like the pine bark mulch (or any organic mulch) will do. Sure, hardwood mulch is in the form of chunks initially, but it, too, breaks down into smaller bits as it ages. I have a dripper irrigation system that waters individual plants in this portion of my yard. What are the pros and cons of this plan?

Imagine the conversation The Creator might have had with St. Francis on the subject of lawns: GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles. ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. Beginning each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the homeowners happy. ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it ~ sometimes twice a week. GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite, they pay to throw it away. GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir. GOD: These Earthlings must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose? ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD: And where do they get this mulch? ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. GOD: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have they scheduled for us tonight? ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..... GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis

The paths between your beds should be at least three feet wide. If this seems like a lot of wasted space, imagine kneeling down to work on a 1-2' wide path, or maneuvering your wheelbarrow along skinny paths without damaging your plants. Larger pathways are much more comfortable to work with, and are one of just four improvements that Mel has made on his method since his book was published over 20 years ago. (See his website for the other updates to his method.) Your budget, your aesthetic preferences, and available materials will determine what you use for the paths between your raised beds. Here are a few ideas: Any fancy material typically used for a sidewalk or paved garden path can be used, including flagstone paths, concrete pavers, bricks, etc. set into concrete, sand, gravel, rock screenings, etc. There are multiple sites on the Internet that give detailed descriptions of how to construct these kinds of paths. Grass, edged along the beds with a weedeater or square-bladed shovel. Paths made from broken-up concrete slabs (free if you're willing to scrounge) set into grass, sand, gravel, or rock screenings. Organic materials (hay, wood chips, grass clippings, etc) over dampened cardboard boxes or newspaper. The cardboard/newspaper blocks weeds, and the whole mess gradually breaks down and will need to be replenished every year or so. One GW member rakes up the breaking-down materials and uses it as a fall/winter mulch for her beds, then places fresh materials down to start breaking down over the winter. If you want a super-permanent path between your square foot beds, take a look at some of the nifty concrete molds available at home improvement stores. They come in many different patterns (random stone, slate and herringbone brick, just to name a few) and are quite easy to use. Depending on the design you choose, they can be used for straight or curved paths.