Newsletter

Many of us grew up with stories of family and community gardens that flourished during World War II, when it was everyone’s patriotic duty to grow vegetables. Or we heard tales of the Depression gardens of the 1930’s. Vegetable gardens have been an economic necessity throughout history, and not just during tough times. Americans who moved from the farm to the city and immigrants coming to this country have all carried their rural gardening ways with them. They did it not just to save money. They did it to have a better variety and quality of vegetables. Plus gardening also connected them to life back in the old country. It was a way to continue their heritage and improve their quality of life. As we all struggle through the current recession, Garden Mats® encourages us to meet more of our family & community food supply needs. And what could be better than fresh produce from your backyard to your table, just like the generations before. To continue reading article, click here.

Got Mulch? The Garden Mats® Guide to Mulch and Mulch More

Want to cut down on your gardening work this growing season and forever more? Once you prepare your soil and plant, the biggest time waster is weeding…and weeding…and weeding. Mulch is a gardener’s first line of defense against weeds! Mulch retains soil nutrients, reduces erosion, improves aeration, reduces watering needs, and insulates plant roots from temperature extremes—thereby extending the growing season. It’s about the best thing a gardener can do to eliminate weeding and increase the quality and quantity of your produce. What do you need to know about types of mulch and mulching strategies for your garden? To continue reading article, click here.

Gardening is all about soil-- that loose top-layer of earth covering our planet. Soil results from the breakdown of rock over thousands of years through natural cycles of wind and water erosion, glacial activity, frost, and chemical interaction. The act of gardening and water erosion removes nutrients from the soil. In addition, some gardeners grow on land that has been worked over too much, and is depleted. Identifying the type of soil one has, understanding it’s particular characteristics, and taking steps to improve it is a large part of a gardener’s mission and—we would say—responsibility.To continue reading article, click here.

An old man lived alone in the country. One spring, he wanted to dig his tomato garden but it was too strenuous, as the ground was very hard. His only son, Max, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. To continue reading article, click here.

!!! Announcing Our Garden Mats® 2009 Summer Contest !!!

One of our greatest pleasures is to hear from gardeners and growers everywhere, and we love seeing how Garden Mats® work all across America. So, we decided to launch our first annual Garden Mats® Photo & Testimonial Contest. Send us a letter or email, a digital photo, video, or artwork, and tell us how Garden Mats® work for you. Submissions must be received by July 10th. Winners will be announced August 22, 2009. Email: GardenMats@comcast.net or Send via USPO to: Garden Mats, 374 Calais Road, Worcester, VT 05682. For more information, click here.

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