Almost ANYTHING is better than black plastic. Pleaswe reconsider.

There's many good ideas and answers to some of your questions in the FAQs here, Tommysgarden. Especially the "Using Mulches" FAQ.

All the best,
-Patrick

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil, Compost & Mulch forum FAQs

If you must use black plastic here are a few things to consider.
1. you are going to have to use some sort of irragation under the plastic. Soakers, drip whatever. Plastic will not allow water through.

2. in the summer heat of VA you are going to have to cover that BLACK plastic with something or it will cook your plants. Imagine walking arcoss a blacktop road in bare feet. That about how hot your soil is going to get.

3. early season it does do a good job of warming the soil due to radiant heat being absorbed.

With that being said. I would opt for somethign else to use as mulch. Compost, grass clippings, leaves used as mulch not worked into the soil woudl be good options. If weed suppression is an issue used thick layers of carboard or newspaper under you mulch. It will break down over time and add organic matter to you soil.

Hardwood or pine mulch would work also but at the end of the season or the brginning of next that would have to be racked aside and reused. It worked into the soil it ties up alot of the nitrogen in the soil as it breaks down.

Good luck. there is many options for mulch. Balck plastic is mostly used on the commercial side because its zero to low upkeep and irrigation is no issue for them.

Well, that's the thing. Plastic mulches result in parched ground. I'm sure your results (especially in a hot climate) would be greatly improved with an organic perpetual mulch.