Plain shredded paper is a safe and budget-friendly material when used correctly. Apply in thin layers and top with natural mulch to prevent matting. Shredded paper can also be used in your compost bin ...

Many years ago early in my agriculture/gardening career, I discovered a book written by a woman who developed a novel way of gardening. Ruth Stout’s gardening technique involved applying layers of ...

I know this is a silly question, probably the strangest you’ve ever gotten, but I’m curious. Where I live, there isn’t a place nearby to recycle paper. I reuse most of my paper as scratch paper and ...

A reader wonders whether there's use in the garden for his shredded paper. Another is puzzled by the poor performance of all his root crops. CS: It sounds like your shredded paper is office paper ...

Q: I work in an office that produces a lot of shredded paper. Is it safe to use it as a mulch or in a compost pile? A: First, a word of caution: Be sure that your employer permits removal of the ...

Through the years, I’ve used a lot of different kinds of mulch, ranging from natural materials such as straw or grass to man-made materials such as plastic sheeting. The plastic I’ve tried has been in ...

Mulch, the covering you put over the soil in your garden, has many advantages in our hot desert climate — it protects the soil from being swept away by wind and rain, reduces water runoff, cools soil ...