Mulch or Pea Gravel?

Good morning SFGardners,

I'm trying to decide between using red mulch or pea gravel to place around my boxes. I'm going to build a picket fence around my layout of 6 boxes. I like the looks of red mulch but I'm concerned about bugs and especially ants setting up residence. Pea gravel is nice and doesn't attract bugs but cost more and harder for me to deal with. Might have to hire a young buck to help me out. 
What should ole pappy do? hmmmm.

Pappy

Mulch will stay in place more or less and will decompose. Pea gravel doesn't decompose and tends to migrate. I don't like rocks in my garden.

Camp, any problem with insects? I have red mulch around my trees and at times ants move in. Maybe it won't be that bad. I agree with what you stated about migrating rocks. 


Pappy

Pappy Slip wrote:Camp, any problem with insects? I have red mulch around my trees and at times ants move in. Maybe it won't be that bad. I agree with what you stated about migrating rocks. 


Pappy

Large container of cinnamon will help.  If you see ants, sprinkle some on the mulch.  I use it when I see them in my compost and they flee.  I love the mulch because it stays put, just like Camp said.

Pappy, I've been thinking about this for the last hour or so.  Best advice is:

1.  Think long term - 10-15-20 years (Think positive!)
2.  What do you like better?

Whatever you decide, learn from my mistake and make sure you have a GOOD weed-block/weed killer down.

We put gravel on several pads for boats, etc.  We used commercial weed-block.  Three years later, they're covered in weeds...

Marie, you said it best, what do you like better? Red Mulch it is!
Long term.....haha.....my honey will enjoy this for many years. She is much younger than me. I will be in a box, not a SFG box either. Well at least I don't think so. 

Pappy

We put gravel down about 18 years ago?? It looks just like when we laid it down! LOVE it. Don't have to re-do it, it doesn't break down and doesn't stick to yours shoes in the rain etc.

We just added more beds and added MORE gravel we liked it so well. 

Good luck with whatever you decide Pappy!!

Pappy Slip wrote:...She is much younger than me. I will be in a box, not a SFG box either. Well at least I don't think so. 

Pappy

I told my wife to cremate me and throw me in the next batch of MM.  But she said it would be a waste of fertilizer, so I don't  know what she's going to do with me!   

We are giving these nice gal's on here ideas.  

 

We gotta get plantoid in on this discussion. I'm sure he has some British ideas to share!

Pappy Slip wrote:Camp, any problem with insects? I have red mulch around my trees and at times ants move in. Maybe it won't be that bad. I agree with what you stated about migrating rocks. 


Pappy

There's always insects, everywhere on the Green earth.  

camprn wrote:

Pappy Slip wrote:Camp, any problem with insects? I have red mulch around my trees and at times ants move in. Maybe it won't be that bad. I agree with what you stated about migrating rocks. 


Pappy

There's always insects, everywhere on the Green earth.  

I'm so happy you shared that bit of information with me. I had no idea!  

Now that's a    Pappy, you would fit in well with my family. The kids and I drive my hubby crazy sometimes, he doesn't always get our sarcasm        

 Clowns will be clowns..... 

SG, how do you keep the weeds from growing thru? 

PLEASE advise, because we are about to start a major weed killing project in the gravel beds.  I don't WANNA go thru this again!

  

And, Pappy, you'd fit right in here too with hubby & me!

AtlantaMarie wrote:SG, how do you keep the weeds from growing thru? 

PLEASE advise, because we are about to start a major weed killing project in the gravel beds.  I don't WANNA go thru this again!

  

And, Pappy, you'd fit right in here too with hubby & me!

AtlantaMarie. We used some weed cloth from Home Depot. We put it down about 18 years ago??? NO weeds have come through!! It's good stuff. We moved our beds a few months ago, and used what we thought was the same cloth, and a little crab grass is poking through, but not bad. 
It's a gray fabric sort of looking cloth?? It's soft and very flimsy, doesn't look like it would work but it does! If you look at the "moved our beds" thread, you can see pics of the gravel and the beds to give you an idea of what it looks like. 
We are happy with it...would use it again and have!!

Hey SG, I used the Home Depot gray cloth in my landscaping. Funny story...I walked out on the porch one morning drinking my coffee. I noticed something in yard, I yelled for my honey. Honey bring my shotgun a opossum is in the yard. I was sneaking through the yard like a ninja. I closed in to about 10 yards then BOOM! Got it Honey I yelled. I went to the garage to get some gloves. I didn't won't to pick that nasty critter up without gloves. So, I make my way back to the varmint feeling kinda of proud of myself for my stalking skills. Well, once I got pretty close I stopped and said to myself, what they h** is that? It's was certainly not a opossum, in fact, it wasn't even a mammal. It was a big piece of chewed up home depot gray cloth. Dogs had gotten in my landscaping. They pulled out a large section and I guess played tug-of-war with it. I told my honey about what happened. I thought she would have a good laugh but she looked at me and said, Bless Your Heart. If you are from the south you know what she actually meant. As far as I know she never mentioned it again. I suppose she could tell I felt bad enough about the whole ordeal.
It's funny now to think about it.

Pappy Slip wrote:Hey SG, I used the Home Depot gray cloth in my landscaping. Funny story...I walked out on the porch one morning drinking my coffee. I noticed something in yard, I yelled for my honey. Honey bring my shotgun a opossum is in the yard. I was sneaking through the yard like a ninja. I closed in to about 10 yards then BOOM! Got it Honey I yelled. I went to the garage to get some gloves. I didn't won't to pick that nasty critter up without gloves. So, I make my way back to the varmint feeling kinda of proud of myself for my stalking skills. Well, once I got pretty close I stopped and said to myself, what they h** is that? It's was certainly not a opossum, in fact, it wasn't even a mammal. It was a big piece of chewed up home depot gray cloth. Dogs had gotten in my landscaping. They pulled out a large section and I guess played tug-of-war with it. I told my honey about what happened. I thought she would have a good laugh but she looked at me and said, Bless Your Heart. If you are from the south you know what she actually meant. As far as I know she never mentioned it again. I suppose she could tell I felt bad enough about the whole ordeal.
It's funny now to think about it.

         

     


Reminds me of a woman that belonged to my dad's hunting club.  She's sitting on a stand one morning just as the sun's coming up.  It's kinda foggy.  She spots a buck, carefully raises her gun in order not to spook it, takes aim & fires! 

It doesn't move.  At all!  So she shoots it again.  Finally she gets down off the stand and goes to check it out.

It's a log.

Bless her heart...

Following! We are in the middle of this same discussion right now. I was leaning toward gravel for the same reasons, but now you guys have me rethinking.

Here is a pic of our garden with gravel. This was tonight...so nice here!! The garden is rockin it!!!

Wow...  Looks so nice, SG.  Vibrant & soothing at the same time...



Hey, Pappy!  How's the mulching going?  You KNOW we're gonna want to see pictures!

Hi Marie, well I had to morph from a gardener to a plumber to a nurse this past weekend. Most important my honey was very sick this weekend. Everything else can wait when my honey needs me. I hadn't done anything yet garden wise. After seeing that fabulous photo I'm having second thoughts. Boy that looks nice! 

Pappy

Oh, dear.  I hope she's feeling better!  And sick on Mother's Day???  Sigh...

Thank you, she is feeling some better. She is still very weak but sleeping now. Me and Otis have everything under control. Otis is our dog. He will not leave her side. He did the same thing when I was down with that ole cancer thing. He knows! 


Pappy