Mulch

[masterown35]

So I'm having a bit of an issue with a lot of weeds starting to pop up, and I'm growing a bit tired of constantly having to pull them. So my question is, what kind of mulch do you use to stop the weeds? I've got both peppers and tomatoes in the ground, I know that some mulches can make the soil more alkaline or acidic, and knowing that both tomatoes and peppers can prefer soil on the acidic side, I'm not sure which mulch would be best for them. Any and all help is appreciated!

EDIT: The other big reason I'm growing tired of the weeds is because of fertilizing. Would obviously much rather grow gigantic pepper plants over gigantic weeds, lol

 

[Bicycle808]

I been using hay. It's rad.

 

[NorCaliente916]

So I'm having a bit of an issue with a lot of weeds starting to pop up, and I'm growing a bit tired of constantly having to pull them. So my question is, what kind of mulch do you use to stop the weeds? I've got both peppers and tomatoes in the ground, I know that some mulches can make the soil more alkaline or acidic, and knowing that both tomatoes and peppers can prefer soil on the acidic side, I'm not sure which mulch would be best for them. Any and all help is appreciated!

EDIT: The other big reason I'm growing tired of the weeds is because of fertilizing. Would obviously much rather grow gigantic pepper plants over gigantic weeds, lol

 
I use newspaper or thin cardboard with straw over the top. Straw by itself tends to allow weeds to get through eventually. Also might need to "refresh the straw as the year goes on, things tend to settle and Ilike to add fresh straw on top as necessary. End of the year its all pretty broken down and it all gets tiled under. Leaves and pine straw work well too.
 
If you are referring to pine straw/needles making soil more acidic, its just not true, especially when they are dried. Basically use whatever you have access to.

 

[solid7]

I been using hay. It's rad.

 
Yes!  Good old alfalfa hay is the very best.  It's a benefit at every stage of its existence.

 

[masterown35]

 
I use newspaper or thin cardboard with straw over the top. Straw by itself tends to allow weeds to get through eventually. Also might need to "refresh the straw as the year goes on, things tend to settle and Ilike to add fresh straw on top as necessary. End of the year its all pretty broken down and it all gets tiled under. Leaves and pine straw work well too.
 
If you are referring to pine straw/needles making soil more acidic, its just not true, especially when they are dried. Basically use whatever you have access to.

 
I thought about using hay, but have read about seeds getting into the soil and popping up too. Has then much of an issue for you at all?

I was personally thinking about going with a bark mulch or just a very fine wood mulch for mine. 

 

[solid7]

 
I thought about using hay, but have read about seeds getting into the soil and popping up too. Has then much of an issue for you at all?

I was personally thinking about going with a bark mulch or just a very fine wood mulch for mine. 

 
That ain't going to stop weeds.  In fact, weeds are a mother-lovin' BITCH when they start growing in fine pine bark.
.
The best natural weed block that I've personally encountered, is pine needles. 

 

[masterown35]

 
That ain't going to stop weeds.  In fact, weeds are a mother-lovin' BITCH when they start growing in fine pine bark.
.
The best natural weed block that I've personally encountered, is pine needles. 

 
Okay. I'm gonna toss ideas back and forth about it. I might just tough it out and wait til next year too. Do some more research and get a better idea of what to grab. I'm already thinking of changing my setup a bit again so I'm gonna evaluate what would be best if I do that. Appreciate the help though!

 

[NorCaliente916]

That solely depends on what type of hay or straw and how it was cut, they are different things. That's also part of the reason I use newspaper first, keeps any stray weeds seeds from proliferating. The occasional seed that do germinate are easily pulled by hand. The pros in moisture retention etc far outweigh a few weeds imo. And as long as it's a decently thick layer of mulch it really can be mitigated.

 
I thought about using hay, but have read about seeds getting into the soil and popping up too. Has then much of an issue for you at all?

I was personally thinking about going with a bark mulch or just a very fine wood mulch for mine. 

 

[midwestchilehead]

I use grass clippings. They are cheap (free, actually) and do a great job keeping weeds at bay. They have the added benefit of warming up the soil and the plant's environment as they decompose.
 
I used to put newspaper down under the clippings, but after testing it out, concluded that was an unnecessary step. Although it is a great way to recycle newspaper, it is windy here most of the time so laying them out was a pain.
 
I would use arborist wood chips if I had them readily available. I have been signed up with Chip Drop for over two years and have yet to get a drop.

 

[solid7]

I use grass clippings. They are cheap (free, actually) and do a great job keeping weeds at bay. They have the added benefit of warming up the soil and the plant's environment as they decompose.

 
I use them, also.  They will keep you weeds down in the first year, but you better keep up on them, or everything that wasn't sprouting before they decomposed, goes POP!    But if you use this as a multi-year strategy, it will give you amazing soil after a few years.  Leaves and grass clippings over your garden plot in the fall, and no-till. (you'll never need to till)
.
As far as warming goes...  I use them down here, where we need no "warming" in the soil.  If you top dress them thick, they get hot at the surface layer, but this actually pulls heat out of the soil, thus cooling. (which is the desired effect)  It makes a noticeable difference, especially in containers.
.
I will always recommend that people use whatever they have, and grass clippings are commonly available.  Sometimes, I forget to mention it, because I've worked hard to eliminate grass completely from my yard, so with what's left, it takes me 6-7 mowings to completely get the beds covered.   It's fast becoming my non-commodity.

 

[midwestchilehead]

Yeah, I made that mistake this season. I usually tarp my beds in the fall and uncover them just before transplanting. This year I didn't get around to tarping and had to do some serious weed control before transplanting. Thank God for good gloves and a hula hoe.
 
 

 
I use them, also.  They will keep you weeds down in the first year, but you better keep up on them, or everything that wasn't sprouting before they decomposed, goes POP!

 

 

[Rue Bella]

I use the free stuff from the land fill - ground and sifted green waste. Not everyone across the country likes it, but our local stuff is very good. And did I say it's free? I've been using it for over a decade, and I've had no problems with weed seeds coming in. And if you put on any mulch deep enough (4 to 6 inches), most weeds dont grow, and the few that do are easily pulled. I generally dont put cardboard or newspaper down first because the earthworms love this ground mulch. 
 
In our community we can set up deliveries of the stuff - a dump truck of about 7 to 10 yards costs about $40 for the delivery, but no charge for the mulch. It's a dry environment here so I put it over just about everything for both water conservation and weed control.. 
 
edit: if you dont need an entire dump truck of it, see if there is a pile of it at your landfill that homeowners can pick up yourself in smaller containers. Our's is open for pick-up 24/7.

 

[johnny1990]

I use leaf mulch it's good for 1 year you may have to lay more out next season but it also works as a good soil conditioner. Also could get wood chips possibly free from landscape companies. And of course you could get regular bark mulch it works fine.

 

[Rue Bella]

 Also could get wood chips possibly free from landscape companies.
 

 
That's where people around here get them. Tree trimmers in particular. Call several of them and give them your address. They would rather go to the closest drop-off point than take them further away. Make sure you tip well to encourage them to come back to you.
 
Also, if you ever have any tree work done, make sure upfront that you'll get the chips from the job. 

 

[solid7]

I use the free stuff from the land fill - ground and sifted green waste. Not everyone across the country likes it, but our local stuff is very good. And did I say it's free? I've been using it for over a decade, and I've had no problems with weed seeds coming in. And if you put on any mulch deep enough (4 to 6 inches), most weeds dont grow, and the few that do are easily pulled. I generally dont put cardboard or newspaper down first because the earthworms love this ground mulch. 
 
In our community we can set up deliveries of the stuff - a dump truck of about 7 to 10 yards costs about $40 for the delivery, but no charge for the mulch. It's a dry environment here so I put it over just about everything for both water conservation and weed control.. 
 
edit: if you dont need an entire dump truck of it, see if there is a pile of it at your landfill that homeowners can pick up yourself in smaller containers. Our's is open for pick-up 24/7.

 
I used to use the local stuff around here for growing bananas.  But...  the kick is, it needed to be aged for 2 full years before it was really any good.
.
I'm totally in favor of municipal greenwaste programs, in principle.  Unfortunately, in reality, there is too much wrong with it.  Weeds, disease, pesticides and herbicides, etc.  If you've got some space set aside where you can put it up for 2-3 years before using it, I say go for it.  But the reality is, when it comes from the public, you really just don't know what's in it.  And our place didn't age it for any amount of time.  The minute it was chopped and hot, it was already being shoved out.  We just generate too much of it around here.

 

[Rue Bella]

 
I used to use the local stuff around here for growing bananas.  But...  the kick is, it needed to be aged for 2 full years before it was really any good.
 

 
Like I said, not everyone likes it,  and it probably varies in quality between communities..  I've used ours extensively for more than a decade with zero problems. And having to age it for "2 full years" to use as mulch is just silly. If you age it that long you've got compost, not mulch. Of course compost properly done is also a good thing. 

 

[solid7]

 
Like I said, not everyone likes it,  and it probably varies in quality between communities..  I've used ours extensively for more than a decade with zero problems. And having to age it for "2 full years" to use as mulch is just silly. If you age it that long you've got compost, not mulch. Of course compost properly done is also a good thing. 

 
As long as you are comfortable with not knowing what's been sprayed, dumped, or sprinkled on whatever it was before it went in, then yes, use it. (as top dress or compost, whatever)  I was just pointing out that it's a valid consideration.  The 2 years was the recommendation that was given by some of the local gardening pros who I learned from, to allow any undesirable stuff to break down, or peter out.

 

[Rue Bella]

 
As long as you are comfortable with not knowing what's been sprayed, dumped, or sprinkled on whatever it was before it went in, then yes, use it. (as top dress or compost, whatever)  I was just pointing out that it's a valid consideration.  The 2 years was the recommendation that was given by some of the local gardening pros who I learned from, to allow any undesirable stuff to break down, or peter out.

 
These days it is an absolutely valid consideration to be careful about what and 'where from' anything you put in your garden.  This concern of herbicide carry-over is why I stopped using horse manure in my garden a few years ago from a local stable. Even aged some of these chemicals don't break down. And there was simply no way to know about the hay/straw they were feeding the animals.
 
There are sprays that when applied to growing hay can go through the intestines of the grazing animal... and seriously contaminate a garden on which the manure is applied. Unfortunately some of the hardest hit plants that can be affected are those in the nightshade family - peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes... 
 
There are the same contamination concerns with 'unused', 'new' hay/straw for mulch too. Not only from broad-leaf weed killers, but the application of round-up to kill and dry grain fields for better harvesting. If you are going to use hay or straw, know where it comes from. Make sure the grower is either organic or does not use the herbicides in question. 
 
If you can, use for mulch things from your own yard (or horse), assuming you don't spray. Grass clippings, even small branches can be cut up. And of course leaves as others have mentioned. Great stuff.
 
My own choice has been the municipal green waste as perhaps safest. And I've never had an issue in years. My area of California is very dry and we were in a severe drought for years. There just arent as many lawns around any more where people use herbicides. Much of what goes into the green waste here are branches and weeds. I know there can be risk, but I need so much mulch to cut down on water use, I elected to use the free stuff. To be honest think it's as safe as purchased hay/straw/mulch. If not safer. And did I mention that it's free?
 
In my area local farms/orchards have the stuff delivered in double-rig trucks. If they thought secondary pesticides were a concern, I doubt they'd use it.