Leaves, straw, hay, bush trimmings, grass trimmings, compost, bark, aged wood chips, pine needles, trimmings from garden plants including tomatoes, corn husks, leafy greens, and squash can all work well as a mulch. Others often discussed include cardboard, shredded or sheets of newspaper, leaf mold, burlap, etc.

Check out all the FAQ's here (linked on the forum front page) for even more suggestions.

Dave

You can use any plant material that was once growing as a mulch. Some people that have poor soils and have insect pest and plant disease problems will tell you that you cannot use some of that plant material because of that reason, but if you have a good, healthy soil there is no reason not to and that will aid in keeping your soil good and healthy. There are also some people that will tell you that all that needs to be composted and the gardens need to be cleaned up to prevent insect pests from overwintering in that material, but that diligent cleanup will also eliminate places for the beneficial insects to overwinter, so next spring when the insect pests move in there are no beneficials to help you control the pests.