Different Mulches in the Production of Tomatoes

Grass Clippings

• A study at North Dakota State University looked at the impact of various varieties of mulch when combined with several different varieties of tomato. Although it seemed that all mulches performed admirably, the clear winner in the study was grass clippings. Grass clippings look nice in the garden and handle easily. More importantly, the grass clipping mulches deter weeds well and retain water excellently, producing a good crop of eventual tomatoes.

Straw

• The West Virginia University Extension service highly recommends the use of straw as a tomato mulch. Straw retains moisture the way the tomatoes need and also makes it easy to navigate in the garden after rain. According to the university, the mulch should be laid down a few weeks into June, and a heavy bed of approximately 8 inches of loose straw should be used.

Plastic Mulches

• The Texas Cooperative Extension did a study on the effects of various synthetic mulch products and tomatoes. Four mulches were tested, with a clear winner demonstrated by the health of the plants and their yield. Out of the plastic mulches that were tried, SRM Silver mulch demonstrated the most beneficial effect. The other plastic mulches showed increases over the control group yields in the low teens, but the SRM Silver mulch showed an increase of 24 percent compared with the control group.

Shredded Newspaper

• Ohio State University Extension did a study that looked at organic alternatives to plastic mulches. They found that shredded newspaper made for one of the best possible organic mulch options. The advantage of newspaper was that it didn't break down over the course of the growing season, and provided very strong resistance against weeds once it became wet. The other advantage of the newspaper compared with plastic mulches is that it can simply be incorporated into the soil at the end of the year.