What is the preferred mulch for tomato plants?

[nnjjohn]

I have small garden beds and can easily use the cheap black plastic weed mulch i still have unused in my shed.. But want to hill my plants early season and also using the Florida weave using 2x2 pine staked every other plant ..the tomato cages aren't practical and most are old and rusted at the bottoms.. the tomato cages will instead be used in the smallest of beds perhaps for trellising the cucs and squash. I read straw (not hey) is really good for mulching around the base of transplants.. I still have at least a month planning ..any other suggestions appreciated

[ScottinAtlanta]

I use wheat straw and like it. The lighter color keeps the heat down. I don't worry about the few wheat grasses growing up - they don't compete and are easy to pull if you want to.

[matilda'skid]

Straw is fine but now we have to worry about herbicides. There are ways to test the straw I think. Mushroom compost is my favorite mulch. There is a mushroom growing business 30 miles or so from me and I can buy it by the scoop at a garden center. If I had a big truck I would get lots of that stuff.

[nnjjohn]

Yes, i have one that is outside since last halloween.. and it is straw bale not hey so not much a seed issue.. herbicides is possible but i could try this as an experiment on a stone wall with dirt retainer .. i figure every year i grow leftover plants there ..i don't want to go much the trouble boxing the little planter size out..instead.. just going to use what is there plus try this bale broken apart and pad around my transplants. going to need deer fence too..i think i got enough left over fencing material .. this is enough for six more plants.. going to try planting Sungolds and Matts cherries in this bed.. it gets good sun hrs there. I read a seasoned bale of straw is better than fresh bale. But yes herbicides can be an issue .. so I will likely reconsider on my main beds and go with the plastic mulch once my plants are big enough ..probably a month after they are in the ground.. I just don't like trying to hoe weeds all summer into late summer it is a mess anyway.. doing away with the cages and going florida weave should help considerably with applying the mulch and weeding and knowing now it is a much more efficient plant trellis system .. much less expensive than cages too!

[matilda'skid]

Pine bark mulch is an attractive mulch that you can buy in 2 or 3 cubic foot bags. I would get the mulch not the nuggets. Chopped fallen leaves saved all winter make a nice mulch.

Some people have ruined their gardens with manure or straw with persistent herbicide residues. You could spread the straw in a place where you don't plan to garden and see if any broad leaved plants will grow there. The herbicide won't hurt grass. Partly rotten straw is a good mulch if you can be sure it is safe.

I use brown cardboard and put something else on top to make it more attractive. Earthworms love it and it rots away quickly. Then you don't have fragments of ugly plastic showing.

[kath]

Shredded leaves are plentiful and free for me and they are great for mulching.

kath

[peppero]

Originally Posted by kath

Shredded leaves are plentiful and free for me and they are great for mulching.

kath

Ditto and add pine needles. I also like wheat straw.

Jon

[guruofgardens]

Originally Posted by kath

Shredded leaves are plentiful and free for me and they are great for mulching.

Exactly! Free shredded leaves, free mown grass on top of the leaves. Repeat. Lots of work, but free and very productive.

[Redbaron]

Straw, hay, leaves, aged wood chips, pine needles, grass clippings, bedding etc all work great. Each has it's little nuances that must be considered, but all can work fine.

Some straw, hay and grass clippings can have herbicides or weed seeds, leaves typically need chopped, grass clippings need dried first usually, bedding needs aged so the manure in it doesn't burn plants. Some mulches might change Ph or temporarily draw down nitrogen. Lots of little things to consider and that will come with experience. But in the vast majority of cases mulch of any type is beneficial.

[nnjjohn]

What about the weed barrier plastic that i bought at the dollar store 4x8 ft.. it is the cheap stuff but all i want to do it keep the weeds around my plants and as well as the tomato weighed down harvest time.. the plastic protects the lower plants from splash dirt when those rain storms hit the gardens. I think I can easily maneuver the plastic sheets between the plants too after seeting the plants and hilling them because i'm not using the tomato cages but using the Florida weave method which means only a few stakes between plants rather all that cage getting in the way for setting plastic mulch. I can always remove the plastic too at the eos.

[cjp1953]

I'm thinking of using white clover as a living mulch.I posted a thread but am waiting for the forum to approve my membership.

[CornHusker]

Agree with Redbaron's post and I use straw or pine needles. Out here, pine needles don't break down nearly as fast as straw which can be good or bad. Both last the season though.

When I use pine needles, I rake them up at the end of the season and put them through a shredder and into compost pile. Even then they don't decompose much compared to everything else...

[Patihum]

The weed barrier plastic is fine for keeping down the weeds but does nothing to help retain moisture or moderate soil temperatures. I use straw several inches thick in my garden.

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by Patihum

The weed barrier plastic is fine for keeping down the weeds but does nothing to help retain moisture or moderate soil temperatures. I use straw several inches thick in my garden.

My plan is hilling rows with my fertile compost from last fall that is already exists about 10 to 12 inches deep ... i also plan to add about a shovel full of homemade mix for around each transplants , cap the row hill with the plastic of coarse i will mark where each shovel i must knife to set each seedling in the covered rows. Plastic mulch is 3 ft wide roll and inexpensive (3x50ft for 5 dollars at HD) sure goes a long way helping with weeding.. additionally.. going to load my pickup with 5 gallon buckets of free town mulch.., going to dump at least 6 inches deep of free town mulch which is basically all local tree wood chips this is great,, used it last three seasons and it is great to walk on between my rows and help hold down the weed barrier and weeds too.. very soft on my feet and no mud!!!.... btw, my homemade transplanting mixture will consist of cured kow manure compost (50lb.for 5 dollars at HD) .. Miracle grow top soil 1.5 cubic bags at 2.00 per bag!!!! on sale today at hd .. i have ten bags.. a big 3 cubic peat moss 10.00 at hd .. I plan on hoe mixing about a third of each together in a wheel barrel. A shovel full of this in with my transplants..wet it down with a gallon of diluted mg tomato fertizler that small box you use a teaspoon or whatever recommended dose with a gallon of water for the transplants . that about it figure a couple more weeks before i get them all in the ground but it is coming along so far so good

[mdvpc]

Pecan shells