Garden Mulch: One Thing Every Great Garden Has in Common

Cherry blossoms framing the Washington Monument during spring bloom in Washington, D.C.

Garden Mulch: Four Famous Gardens One Common Secret. Garden mulch is one thing every great garden has in common. This year I visited several famous gardens—including the U.S. Capitol Rose Garden, Hearst Castle, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library—and every one of them used generous layers of mulch. Each garden is unique. Some receive plenty of…

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Three-Stage Home Composting System: From Kitchen Scraps to Living Soil

Diagram showing a three-stage home composting system with Bokashi fermentation, hot composting in a tumbler, and a compost curing pile to produce finished compost for healthy soil.

A three-stage home composting system produces more stable, biologically active compost while making better use of kitchen scraps and yard waste. Many gardeners believe compost is finished once it leaves the tumbler. In reality, compost continues maturing long after the active heating phase has ended. Each stage performs a different biological function, and together they create…

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