I must agree with Paulette. I had used black plastic around my tomatoes, peppers and eggplants for years. In Maine, soil warmth is a consideration, and the mulch helps. 2 years ago I tried the red mulch against controls of black and no mulch. The difference was remarkable! Last year I bought a large roll of the red mulch - several years worth - since it is far cheaper in bulk. I only get one year out of it, but I only use it for the above-mentioned. It gets recycled along with the other plastics. Here's a good system for tomatoes. Cut the bottom out of a 4 gallon (or 5 gallon) bucket. Push it @ 4" into the soil and plant the tomato plant inside. This protects the plant initially from wind. On a cool night (suspected light frost) you can cover the top with the lid or a board. As the plant grows, you have a much better watering system than the over-priced commercial ones ("automater" is one - expensive garbage!). I water heavily every week, about 1 1/2 gallons per plant, and every 3rd week I add a water soluble fertilizer (eg. Miracle-gro, Rapid-gro). All the water/fertilizer goes right to the roots instead of spreading all over the ground. Good luck!(posted 9000 days ago)Brad