Tile as mulch

As the title says.
I have been thinking about trying this for quite some time.
My hesitation stemmed from a fear of creating habitat for slugs.
This bed kept drying out and ,Alliums are fairly slug resistant, so I tried it here.
I chose light colored tile, but I think I will blacken one side of each if I continue to use them.
The dark side will be for early spring and late fall.

Smart idea. I also have so many slugs/snails that that was the first thing I thought when I read your thread name.... but I suppose the good thing is that slug/snail habitat also makes an easy trap: if they're hanging out there in the daytime you can just come through and grab them.
If you have tiles hanging around, it seems like a great use for them.

I use broken terracotta pieces around the base of my fruit trees for something similar. Holds moisture underneath and the worms seem to love it under there. Never had a slug problem with it but I'm on free-draining soil so that might be why. The idea of blackening one side for seasonal use is clever, never thought of that.

We have a growing population of "Lazarus" Lizards.
I think they are why we don't have more slugs than we do.

I think other inflexible, modular, biologically inert items might work as mulch.
Aluminum pans, or ceramic plates, for instance.
Aluminum flashing,would be more flexible but still ridgid by comparison to black plastic mulch.

Petrified hessian/ concreted burlap is another possibility for a ridgid mulch.

We put concrete stepping stones in strategic places in the garden. We call them "lilly pads" -- so I can tiptoe around with my delicate size 12's and not trash our plants.

They certainly do no harm. And in the strawberry patch, they shed water to my lovely plants while suppressing chickweed. Win!

Using tiles for mulch should work great in a bed where you never set foot (or you might break the tiles...). It will concentrate water, fertilizer etc. where it's most needed, so perhaps save you a few $$$ in fertilizer?
You will definitely save time on weeding!

I use our left over tile as pathway mulch. I pull them up to look for fishing bait all the time and the first year we had alot of slugs but now its slug free. I bet my grapes would like the darker seasonal sides for in the fall and spring. Il have to try it and see!

Great idea! I've wanted to do do this also because weeds can't (theoretically) grow through a piece of tile or concrete in the short term

William Bronson wrote:We have a growing population of "Lazarus" Lizards.
I think they are why we don't have more slugs than we do.

I think other inflexible, modular, biologically inert items might work as mulch.
Aluminum pans, or ceramic plates, for instance.
Aluminum flashing,would be more flexible but still ridgid by comparison to black plastic mulch.

Petrified hessian/ concreted burlap is another possibility for a ridgid mulch.

Ceramic plates sparked something in my brain! They're everywhere and I often can get them for free. Going to think on this more

A big dinner plate with a hole drilled through the center would be a thing to use for some crops. But not, y'know, onions....

Round dishes can fit together like hexagons, with extra room at the intersection of any 3.
That's  where I was thinking to plant, but  plants growing out the middle of a plate would look very neat and tidy!
Plus it gives another opportunity for planting  at exactly half the distance.
It will also keep the plates from pooling water.
Plates are designed to stack, but the stack would probably collect water without a center hole.
Stick a terracotta pot underneath and you have a reservoir.

Glass plates are tricky,I think.
Probably better to leave them undrilled, inverted and used to warm the soil in the spring.
Maybe skip them entirely as other items do the job better.

I'm liking plates more and more!

My next trip to the reuse center I plan to grab seed starting trays to use as mulch in my pumpkin and watermelon beds.
Eventually these plants will shade the soil themselves, but right now it's either apply mulch or weed often.
So far I've been weeding, but stacking  seed starting and soil protection appeals to me.
I was thinking beans, because the seed is so cheap, but now I'm thinking fall greens, because they like shade and are less likely to get tangled with the vines.