I learned that black plastic did a better job than pond weed as a mulch!
I planted cherry tomatoes and indeterminates under black plastic. Dwarfs and peppers received a 4" layer of pond weed. This usually works out just fine with everything flourishing, but this summer we had a drought, and I gave my plants limited water just around their roots. (We are on a well, and the pond was drying out!)
The dwarfs didn't grow as tall as they had the previous season, and fruit was less prolific.
It didn't help that the ground had cracked, with huge fissures visible when all the mulch was removed at the end of the season.
Next season I will attempt to find some more black plastic and grow all my tomatoes under that.
Linda
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