Higgs Boson wrote:

Would small size ground cover mulch do as well? I buy bags & bags of
it and use along my rose paths as well as other decorative planting
areas to conserve water and discourage weeds (hah!).

Mulch and compost are very different, they're actually opposites,
mulch deters plant growth and compost encourages plant growth. Most
organic commercial mulch (like shredded barks) will over several years
eventually break down but adds very little by way of nutrients to
soil... and when mixed into the soil will cause all kinds of problems,
mostly because when smothered with soil it won't break down so will
harbor diseases. One year my neighbor shredded mountains of fallen
leaves and tilled them into his vegetable garden without composting
them first, his garden suffered terribly by an onslought of insects in
all their various stages and all kinds of diseases and molds, not to
mention the burrowing varmits that subsist on the insects and alos
devour the plant roots. You have a choice, gardening or landfill,
that's it.