Melody Sharma

I want to avoid using plastic in the garden, will a layer of black shredded leaf mulch around tomatoes and cukes work just as well? I figured since the mulch is dark it will heat the soil up like black plastic.

Thankyou for the replies, I'm actually establishing a new garden on a plot and decided to use the mulch as a lasagna layering and adding worms to it to create a a worm beds which would eventually turn in to garden bed for next year, I'm also going to use it int the chicken coop in place of the straw i am currently using. let us see how it works!

I have done bin vermicomposting and I thought of doing the same for the pile too but I was wondering should I be adding something to make it a good seeding soil?

In spring I thought I could save money on buying seeding soil and create my own using leaf compost mixed with worm castings . Unfortunately the leaf compost I received from the local county compost turned out to be leaf mulch instead. Now I have a truck load of mulch which I hope to convert into soil for next year. The mulch also has a fair amount of pine needles too so i'm guessing it is acidic. I have access to horse manure, wood ash and a biweekly supply of chicken droppings. What do I do?