It's the beginning of gardening season on Prince Edward Island, and that means many people will be using bark and straw mulch to keep weeds down and moisture in. 

It also means fire departments like Charlottetown's will likely be responding to a few mulch fires over the next several months as temperatures get warmer. 

Kent Mitchell, the city's deputy fire chief, said there have been no fires yet, but the department has responded to a few every week in summers past. 

"It's a highly combustible mate…