Black plastic, on its own or covered with organic matter. Plus old salvaged carpet. Works great. The organic matter is mostly leaves I gather for free at the curbside during fall and spring cleanup periods.

I used whatever is organic, not full of chemicals (like gin compost) and free. At the moment, I have a mish-mash of oak leaves, pine needles and old straw plus a couple of inches of horse manure in my raised beds that isn't so much mulch as growing medium. None of it did I rake or shovel, although I did pay $10 for the horse farmer to use his loader.

In another month or so, I will be able to haul away all the leaf compost I can handle. And I know a place I can get very well composted chicken manure any time.

Not much will get through 10" of densely matted half-rotten straw.

Agree on anything organic - except wood chips. Won't use wood chips.

Since we grow and mow our own hay, old spoiled hay and mowed meadow grass are readily available. I'd prefer to use straw and do when I can get it but straw is fairly rare around here. We also stockpile shredded leaves and compost heavily so have access to lots of leaf mold and compost.

Have used cardboard under the hay in the aisles and it works well. The earthworms love it.

Dave

Leaves, pine straw, grass clippings, cardboard, and anything else of the sort that comes to hand.

I use leaves,straw,hay,burlap Coffee bags, coffee beans,coffee grounds, coffee chaff,horse bedding & manure that is composted. Old carpet around fruit trees, Plastic only one time, never again. Some cardboard, weeds that are mowed down BEFORE seeds form. Some old untreated boards as mulch/slug traps. Well use sawdust in compost soon.

Although I am sure that black plastic is great in Michigan, I fear it would absolutely fry your crops in a Houston Texas summer.

I use pinestraw because it's plentiful and free. This year I am going to put a thick layer of newspaper under it around my tomatoes in an attempt to prevent early blight.
I have also used chopped leaves, compost, and manure. The compost and manure sometimes sprouted tomatoes, cucumbers, and assorted weeds.... Personally, I just like the look of pinestraw, especially since it's plentiful and free. :)

Depends.
I've got a really thick layer of chipped trees on my perennial garden and paths.
I've killed off the lawn, so the chip also covers a swathe of newspaper and cardboard.
The veggie garden gets pea straw and grass clippings.

My selections include compost, leaves, pine straw, and commercial fabric covering.

jolj,

"Some old untreated boards as mulch/slug traps."

How are these working out as slug traps? My garden and raised beds are covered with them. I really don't want to waste beer. :)

Thanks

I always keep my soil covered with something.
In early Spring, I work in the mulch from late Fall and Winter and use strips of black plastic for the first month or so to help warm the soil, then remove it and add shredded leaves, compost(finished and unfinished), leaf mold, composted manure, grass clippings, etc.

I use cardboard and loads of leaves and grass all around my garden and between the beds, it's amazing how fast it all decomposes.

Mulch, just use it.

ljpother, I use the boards to hold the compost in my raised beds. I got 25-12 feet boards & 15- 6 feet boards free for the taken. I stacked them at the end of my garden & turn them to kill the slugs.
I do not have slugs & snails in my garden. I use coffee & tea grounds, as well as coffee chaff & they will not enter my garden.
1) clean up anything that is not in your compost pile. Pots ,cans,organic trash, plastic bags, rocks not in your garden design. This is where they breed.
2)Put down fresh used coffee & tea grounds,Starbucks gives it away. It is great compost too.
3) Ducks,chickens,wild birds all will help if you have a clear area around your garden.
I understand some gardener can not follow all of this. They do not have the space, but this is the pro's advice.

Here is a link that might be useful: jo makes slow go

Yep, I forgot coffee grounds as a soil amendment. Not just Starbucks -- most coffee shops are happy to have you haul theirs away unless they are already saving them for someone.

Hi alabamanicole,
That is so funny, I used to always look at your username as
ALBA MANICOLE, I always wondered what that stood for, then I just looked closer and saw an extra "a"
finally I got it right alabama nicole.... its about time ;-)

jolj'

I use leaves for mulch which provides a home for the slugs. My soil doesn't retain water and the mulch is needed to keep the soil cooler and moist. My choice is fight slugs or water all day everyday. I am girding my loins to fight the slugs. I took a live and let live approach to them two years ago and I am suffering the consequences.

mmmm.... 'gin compost'. Alabamanicole, that sounds like my kind of compost. Tonic, ice and lime slice please, but lemon will do if you don't have a lime.

Oh, the mulch question. Home made compost only. Cardboard and leaves if I'm killing off a raspberry invasion. Never anything that costs money or won't rot.

I want Bailey's Irish Cream compost with a dash of Godiva chocolate vodka, over ice:)

Didn't know there was such a thing as gin compost.

I do not consider manure and compost as mulch. They are more of soil amendments to me. I basicall use what is readilily availabe, at no cost; which are: pine needles, oak/maple leaves. Plastic, cardbords, newpapers are TOO foreign in my gardening style.

I mulch with leaves(oak). I use cardboard underneath. If I run short of leaves, I use wheat straw.

I prefer anything free. In the past I have used wood chips with no problems. It gets hot enough here that they break down in a year. What little is left gets raked to the side of the bed to try to keep out the grass invasion. This year I am using cardboard between rows and leaves I have collected over the fall. I have also used grass clippings sparingly. We have a mulching mower so I do not get to many of those.

O.K.seysonn. In that case I don't mulch at all.

Hmmm, in the past I have used grass clippings over newspaper and that actually worked really well. I have always used inexpensive shredded pine bark from Walmart on my perennial beds but my garden is getting to a size where I just don't have the money to spend on all that mulch, so this year and I think I may try newspaper and compost. Either way I'll still have to keep up on weeds, but I'm hoping a thick layer of newspaper will smother out what might already be in there and I'll just have to pull new or persistent weeds. As for my veggie beds I don't use any mulch. I just pick big weeds until the veggies get big enough to choke out any grass or weeds.

"I prefer anything free."

My sentiments exactly!

Mulch and compost must be free. What works depends on where you are. Many places it is shredded leaves. Here we are fortunate to have seaweed washed up along the shore, which is great. However, I would not pay for seaweed to be shipped inland.

Some folks have access to spent mushroom compost. Breweries have tons of spent grain to get rid of.

Black plastic is effective but I think I will quit using it. I don't like to clean up the mess after it deteriorates. Organic mulches just get tilled in to the advantage of my soil.

Jim

If we are talking mulch, then fresh lawn clippings, leafmould (homemade) and pea straw is working well for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Ground to Ground website

@ Flora _uk. I am not against using manure and compost. Actually I like them. But by definition they are not "mulch", to me. They are more of fertilizer dressings.
Use of Card board, plastics.. is a gardening style issue. I am not against it and I am posive they work well.

Good Morning Seysonn,
Because you wrote "But by definition they are not "mulch", to me".... I figured you opened up the door ;-)

Definition of MULCH
: a protective covering (as of sawdust, compost, or paper) spread or left on the ground to reduce evaporation, maintain even soil temperature, prevent erosion, control weeds, enrich the soil, or keep fruit (as strawberries) clean
� mulch..... transitive verb

"The Mulch Wars" explains it well,JON.hehe

I am using chips I get free from the landfill recycle center in nearby towns. I get it from the older side of the storage area. On some of it I sift it thru a quarter inch screen to keep chips small. The rest of it I use in the original state.

Newbie gardener here - I used a combination of newspaper and 2 inches of compost last year. The newspaper didn't break down completely last year, so this year I'll try something else. Never heard of using burlap & I might try that. Luckily (or not) I'm gardening in a fairly small space so I can afford to buy a mulch.

I am new to gardening, last year I didnt mulch at all...learned that lesson.
I am still in the exerimental stages so this year I am using some leaves, thick layer of newpaper then hardwood mulch.

I am confused by those that use grass, leaves, straw and such items. How do you keep it from blowing away (such as the hardwood mulch)? I always assumed you put those under a heavier item or mixed them in the soil(sorry if that is a dumb question)

@Penguinz >> First, straw, grass, etc become compacted after first rain or watering. Additionally, your veggies act like wind barrier. In other words, the mulch is not in the open air. If the winds are so strong that could blow the mulch away, they could damage your plants as well.

We grow oats for our 4 horses, 2 beef cows & 36 chickens, so we have alot of straw. But during our long winters here in the U.P. of Michigan I shred junk mail (with paper shredder). I have 8 fourty gal. bags full, that's alot of junk mail ! Then with 2 wheelbarrels, one with the oat straw, the other with the shredded junk mail, put in alternate layers around plants/in paths. The straw & paper break down better, which makes it easier to till in at the end of the growing season.

I just got rid of all my Christmas boxes over the weekend. Redid several beds that were infested with weeds, laying down all the cardboard and then topping with fresh woodchips.