Most of the time when we’re talking about gardening, we focus on what’s growing from our soil and how it interacts with our environment. But, whether it’s heirloom tomatoes or towering sunflowers, there’s one more ground-level element we need to keep track of. If we want healthy soil with diverse, beneficial ecology all throughout the year, we need to protect it from wild Illinois weather. That’s where mulch — especially sustainable mulch — comes in.

Why Do We Mulch in the First Place?

Most big-box stores sell mulch as a cosmetic accessory. They want it to stay a bright, artificial red or a deep, dyed black for as long as possible. As you can imagine, that isn’t necessarily the best for our gardens. Mulch isn’t just a carpet for surrounding our trees. In a sustainable garden, mulch actually serves three critical roles:

1. 1
   Moisture Management

   Mulch is meant to act as a sun screen, protecting our soil’s moisture from baking in the summer heat. Mulch from the big box stores typically uses recycled construction lumber, which is treated to resist moisture and breakdown.

2. 2
   Temperature Regulation

   It keeps the root systems cool when Carol Stream temperatures hit 90℉ and above, then insulated overnight. Imagine the difference in temperature when you use a dyed black mulch instead of a naturally colored alternative.

3. 3
   Soil Nutrition

   This is where the big-box options really fall short. Truly sustainable mulch is meant to break down eventually. Getting mulch that claims to last twice as long as the other brands is actually harming your soil in the long run. We want mulch that decomposes and feeds the soil it’s protecting.

A Spotlight on Pine Bed Mulch

We offer several great sustainable alternatives to those big-box mulches, including bark mulch and leaf mulch. Leaf mulch is essentially your fall leaves mulched with a machine and it can be used on its own or mixed in with other types of wood mulch. But, if you spend some time at the store, or even on our social media, you’ll probably see that we’re partial to Pine Bed Mulch.

It’s the polar opposite of the industrially produced mulch you find in grocery stores and gas station parking lots. There are three main things we love about this sustainable option.

1. 1
   It’s Organic, Twice Over

   Our pine bed mulch is a byproduct of the foresting industry, which means no trees were harvested just to make your flower bed look pretty. All of the needles are sourced from the forest floor of pine groves. It’s a way of using the whole plant — and because it isn’t treated with chemical dyes, you don’t have to worry about anything nasty leeching into your soil or affecting your pets.

2. 2
   A Textured Advantage

   Pine needles don’t just look nice. Unlike wood chips that can sometimes float away during a heavy Wheaton downpour, they knit together and stay put. Pine mulch has the unique ability to create a superior weed barrier while still allowing the soil to breathe.

3. 3
   The Acidic Myth

   It’s a common belief that as pine needles break down they release slightly acidic nutrients back into your soil — but this is a myth. By the time pine needles fall to the ground, they are already dead and in the process of decomposition. It’s true that fresh from the tree, they’re slightly acidic, but when they’re finally dressing your garden, they have balanced out to a neutral pH, and won’t leave your soil acidic as they break down further.

The Human Touch

We love sustainable gardening here at Barn Owl and we’re always happy to answer questions. Sustainable gardening isn’t about getting it perfect on your first try. Being a good steward of your little patch of Illinois is a fantastic goal on its own, and choosing something natural like pine bed mulch over a heavily dyed alternative is a fantastic step toward achieving that.

Stop by the store to experience pine mulch in person. It’s earthy, it smells like a forest after rain, and your plants will love you for it.