Best mulch for a vegetable garden?

I'm already starting to think of how I can grow my garden better next year and I was wonderign about mulching options. I had planned to use wood chips but read that it takes too long to break down in the garden. I don't want to use grass clipping because I'm worried about spreading weeds. Any ideas?

I'm having good luck with shredded newspaper. Not the glossy sections, just the regular newsprint. I tore it into strips about 1" wide, and bunched it up around and under my tomatoes. When it gets watered it compacts and forms a mat that really did seem to help with moisture retention and soil temps. I add more on periodically. Best of all, the price is right!

I put dried grasses under 12" of soil, then plant 3" tall vegetables. By time the veg. are ready for harvest, the grasses have decomposed, and I turn the dirt over with a shovel. My garden dirt is developing into a great loam. And no grass seeds germinate!
On top of the soil, I use pine needles.

I put a layer of newspapers about 5 sheets thick around all my tomatoe plants, then added a couple inches of old straw/hay on top to improve the looks and to keep the papers from blowing. Once they got wet, the papers fused to form a nice mat. I expect to be able to till everything in this winter as compost.

I use only wheat straw. One year when I couldn't find wheat straw, I used hay and ended up with a horrible grass problem in my garden! The wheat straw does a wonderful job of keeping the moisture in and the weeds down. And it's good compost when you till it in after your garden is done.

I've used wheat straw, too. Works great, and not one wheat seed germinated. I'm collecting newspaper to try shredding it for mulch. It's cheaper as I can get it for free from the recycle bin. Also, keep an eye out for straw bales (not hay bales) that will be used in Halloween decorations soon -- you can offer to "dispose" of them for free.

Karen

Oooh, good idea, Karen! Gotta love a free bale of straw for a good home!

Free is my favorite price! LOL.

Karen

If you work it right, you can get some "regulars" who will call you when they are done with their straw bales. They not only like having me come pick it up but the fact that it's being "recycled" for a good cause. To encourage them to keep giving me their straw bales, I always make sure I have some fresh veggies for them out of my garden--they LOVE that!