Hello there,

I am currently helping garden for an elderly couple on Mount Desert Island. They have a few berry patches -- raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry -- that are fairly mature. We don't exactly know how old they are, but I would guess at least four to five years old. We would like to apply mulch to these berries and are trying to figure out the best type.

The options that we have available are: wood shavings (Eastern White Pine), straw, and a moderate amount of decomposed leaf mulch. I know that blueberries do well with wood chips, so I am tempted to use the shaving on those bushes... a little worried about using shavings instead of wood chips. Another idea was to combine the leaf mulch and the shavings, to extend the amount of leaf mulch that goes around and to give the shavings a little bulk. Not sure about straw...

Anyhow, looking for ideas. Has anyone had experience doing this? Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot!