Not sure where your extension agent is coming from. Absolutely nothing wrong with using the wood chips - they make a great mulch and are very often available for free. They also make a decent soil amendment, especially on heavy or poorly draining clay soils, although planting soon after incorporation may require an additional N input. But that's not a huge deal and easy to work with.

My preference would be to use compost as a mulch :-) But any organic material will work quite well - leaves, bark, wood chips, pine straw, etc. Even grass clippings, although I am not fond of their appearance. Larger sized pieces tend to be better at weed suppression, as they shade the soil more, and they tend not blow away as easily. But even a nicely thick layer of a finer textured product will help to keep weeds at a minimum. Also, wood based mulches are slower to decompose so do not need to be reapplied as frequently.

It's really your choice - I'd not say one is better than than another. What's "best" is what is easy to get hold of in your area and in the quantity you need and at a price you are comfortable with.

The choice comes down to cost. Leaves are generally free, although shredding them may cost some in time, energy, and fuel. Wood chips cost money and are available in a wide variety of types, from shredded fines to large nuggets, both pine and hardwood.

There is nothing about using wood chips, shredded leaves, bark fines, etc. as mulch (the material is laid on the soil) that would be detrimental to growing plants.

An old school thought, refuted numerous times in the last 25 years at least, is that these mulches may "rob" the soil of Nitrogen. Mulches do not do that. If the same material is mixed into the soil, as a soil amendment, then the soil bacteria will commence working on that temporarily tying up available Nitrogen as they digest this high carbon material.

Fine Gardening magazine had an article by two researchers from Michigan State University about mulches. They spent 9 years doing that research and found that mulches benefit plants, a lot. The type of mulch made little difference while the depth of the mulch did.

kimmq is kimmsr

Thanks for the responses. You know, I believe this is the first spring that I just might have some "real" homemade compost. Can't (and don't want to) count the many times I've failed in this effort. What I've always had in that wire bin didn't roar like a lion, didn't slither like a snake and sure didn't look like anything the gardens would appreciate. (It DID have a very nice "earthy" smell, though.) This year, though, it looks and feels like what, from descriptions I've read, compost should look and feel like.

Sorry to get long winded. What I really started to say was that I always assumed that mulching with compost alone would provide a wonderful environment for weed seeds in the immediate vicinity to take up residence in the compost. I've thought that, if I ever made some decent compost, I'd better lay some other "weed retardant" mulch on top of it. Now that I'm reading this, it does appear I've over-complicated matters... compost to improve the soil and pine mulch on top to keep the weeds out of the compost. (Don't dare believe that wisdom automatically comes with old age!) If I'm now reading this right, the compost alone improves the underlying soil plus you don't have to fear that weeds and other unwanteds won't take root in the compost.. Have I got it right this time?

Sounds good to me!

"Weeds", unwanted plants, are going to grow where they want. Anyone that tells you they know a way to keep "weeds" from growing is pulling your leg. That said, there are some things you can do that will help suppress unwanted plant growth and that is mulching. But "weeds" can, and do, grow in many types of mulches.

kimmq is kimmsr