"Mark A" wrote in message
m...
I want to start to use a mulch to keep down weeds in a vegetable bed
and wondered what was the best form of mulch to use? We water our
vegetables using a sprinkler system so that really puts black plastic
out of the frame.

Nothing beats about 6" of hay. With that thickness, seeds very seldom
sprout. If they do, you just put another flake on them.

The big advantage over straw is that there is more nutrient in hay which has
seeds & flowers whereas hay doesn't and has probably been treated with
pesticide or herbicide so that the grain that was growing on the straw was
not contaminated with weed seed.

The advantage over all the sheets or rolls of fabric is that hay will
compost in place on your garden and all the nutrient will end up in your
garden.

Hay is also excellent for moisture conservation.

Along with hay, you can add leaves, grass, or any vegetation. I have been
using Ruth Stout's ( Google her name and you will find tons of links)
gardening method for 4 years with excellent results with the exception of
reduced germination of seeds in the garden. I still have to work on that.
Anyone e have any ideas?