Lots of previous discussions about this. I personally don't like wood chips or bark in the vegetable garden. In the fall I mulch the beds with leaves. During the growing season I use grass clippings (be sure to use weed free clippings!) and straw.

Rodney

Personally I prefer straw and/or old hay and also use lots of leaf mold for fall dressing. I know some like wood chips (for appearance sake) but I avoid using them in the vegetable gardens for many reasons - tilling problems, nitrogen binding, minimal weed suppression, and limited moisture retention to name just a few. They are fine for flower beds and landscaping but not for the food plots.

But any mulch is better than no mulch at all.

Best mulch for vegetable garden discussions

Dave

I'm thinking about trying the straw/hay, in combo with plastic. I don't have enough grass clippings, and I am not keen on carting rotting leaves into the garden.

I rake my leaves when mostly dry and mow them. The shredded leaves go in big plastic garbage containers for seasonal storage. Shredded leaves are much more permeable to rain than whole leaves, and break down faster. I have six containers of them filled to the brim for the summer. No rotting leaves get put on my garden, any more than rotting straw/hay might on yours. Of course, I want them to rot anyway once they're there, as you'd better expect with straw/hay. so what's the point of your aversion?

I think it pretty much comes down to what you have handy. I have loads of leaves handy.

I am not keen on carting rotting leaves into the garden.

Leaf mold isn't "rotting leaves". As Dan described it is a form of compost made from shredded leaves that are broken down by heat, moisture, and fungus activity. Like all compost it is one of the best soil amendments there is. Do some reading over on the Soil, Compost, and Mulch forum here for more details.

How to Make Leaf Mold

Leaf mold is composted leaves... the leaves I piled up in the Fall are not going to be decomposed at all (hence my comment.) I do not have leaf mold to use. Our area is infested with deer ticks and I am not putting any leaf mold in the garden that hasn't composted a few years.

Actually, I just put my ground up leaves straight on the beds, without composting. I just don't have space to compost several yards of ground up leaves. But they do just fine sitting on top of the bed, basically composting in situ. By the end of the season, or by the time the next crop gets put in, they're all ready to dig in. They keep down weeds, and hold the moisture in. FWIW, they provide some insulation as well. But if your leaves are full of deer ticks, I can understand why you'd like to keep them away from your garden.

You are right that piled up whole leaves won't decompose quickly - maybe in a year or a bit faster if you mix in lots of nitrogens and keep them well mixed.

But the key to making leaf mold is shredded or ground up leaves as they will break down rather quickly.

Has anyone tried seaweed? I get tons if it but never used it.

Gunrock Ma

Yes. Over on the Soil, Compost, & Mulch forum here several shore gardeners have talked about using seaweed and how well it works. The search there in that forum should pull up those discussions.

I recall that they talk about the need to rinse it well first to remove much of the salt. Also that when chopped a bit it makes a great addition to compost piles and that it is rich in nutrients too.

Dave