A head-to-head garden mulch comparison puts cardboard, pine bark, cypress, black plastic, and bare soil to the test across 175 days, tracking changes in soil temperature, moisture, and weed pressure. The results show differences in performance, including which mulches reduce weeds and a few surprises that shift expectations about which materials actually hold up over time. The results show the best mulch for the garden. Clear standouts emerge and reveal which mulches stay stable, which fall behind, and which ones deliver benefits for vegetable gardens.

0:00 – Experiment Details

0:22 – Weather Conditions

1:19 – Mulch Review: Black Plastic

1:52 – Mulch Review: Woven Landscape Fabric

2:28 – Mulch Review: Pine Needles

3:11 – Mulch Review: Shredded Wood

3:59 – Mulch Review: Cardboard

4:34 – Bare Ground Comparison

5:30 – Temperature Under Each Mulch

8:19 – Weeding Times for Each Mulch

9:49 – Our Observations about Each Mulch

10:41 – Our Top Mulch Choice

12:15 – Conclusion