"General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message
news
I've just put in a big garden, 60'x14', with tomatoes, peppers, herbs,
musk melons, peas, cucumbers, and strawberries. It's weed free at the
moment but that can't last. Any suggestions mulch? I'm thinking straw or
peat moss. I'm told that bark mulch is a bad idea.



You are looking at 4 to 8 cubic yards depending on how thick you lay it and
if you do the paths. I don't now about where you are but enough peat moss
for that garden would cost a bomb where I am. I agree that bark or wood
chip is not suitable except for paths.

Look around your area for sources of material. Hay, straw, spent mushroom
compost, rotted ground-up tree trimmings are just a few possibilities.
Check out the price including delivery. Hay that is too spoiled for animal
consumption may be quite cheap and can make fine mulch.

Look carefully at the material and where it came from. It is possible that
it contains seeds and rubbish that you don't want, it is also possible that
it is fine, there are no hard and fast rules. Consider straw, it depends on
what crop the straw is derived from, how well it was taken off when
harvested and what weeds (if any) were cut along with it.

David