Yes, you can put an organic mulch over the black plastic. It won't hurt anything. If it's deep, you may get a few small weeds trying to grow in it, but they're easy to get rid of, and also tend to die quickly if it's at all dry.

Generally, leaving black plastic disrupts the normal processes in the soil and promotes algae growth on the soil surface, both are exactly what you don't want if you are growing edibles.

Far better to use a permeable landscape fabric.

Dan

I guess I'll have to disagree about that -- I love black plastic. I've never had any problems with anything rotting under it. Some areas I've had it down for close to 10 years now, but have lifted it once or twice to amend and till, then put it back. I do wonder long-term about it -- I know that it's probably not doing the soil any favors to not return the organic matter on a yearly basis, but I've not found any other practical way to keep the weeds down. Now, if I had the luxury of endless time to cultivate and weed, that would be different, but I don't.

Personally, I just HATE landscape fabric, because it doesn't stop many weeds -- a lot of things will either grow up through it (such as crabgrass, with that sharp, needle-like tip to the new shoots), and start on top and root right through, like dandelions and dock.

During fallow times I cover the whole area with black plastic. Have done it for the last 4 years, weeds almost all gone, till I add horse manure, and the bug loading has also decreased.

To restate: leaving it around edibles is not a good idea IMO. And I should point out that I'm not sure why mulch on veggie gardens isn't a good idea, but nonetheless if you are using it for weed suppression you surely want to cover black plastic else you will cook your crops.

Dan

There was a black plastic ''fabric'' to put under mulch that will allow rainwater to flow through but will stop weeds. I haven't seen it in years.

I mulch all my vegetable beds. After the soil warms in spring and before I plant, I spread several inches of pinestraw over the entire bed. Then I pull the mulch back a few inches from the rows and seed, or from a spot where I put a transplant. I have virtually no weeds ever in my beds. I let the mulch rot into the soil and just add fresh over it as needed (at least each fall or spring after a top dressing of compost or manure). I have only good things to say about mulch.

Thank you for all the good advice! Not sure where exactly I first heard about not putting mulch on a veggie garden. I mean, several of my neighbors say it. Maybe because I was using regular wood mulch? Anyway, perhaps I'll try the plastic next year, cover it with mulch and see how it goes. Thank you again! :-)

A wood mulch will tend to pull nitrogen out of the soil as it breaks down, but if you're putting it on plastic, it wouldn't be interacting with the soil all that much. I wouldn't use anything dyed or made from treated wood on food crops regardless.