BIOBASED MULCH (BIOMULCH) IS A USEFUL ORGANIC WEED MANAGEMENT TOOL, BUT IS NOT TYPICALLY USED FOR HIGH-DENSITY, DIRECT-SEEDED VEGETABLE PLANTINGS LIKE SPINACH AND CARROT. INSTEAD, HAND WEEDING IS COMMON IN THESE CROPS, BUT THE COST AND SCARCITY OF LABOR REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO ORGANIC TRANSITIONS. OUR GOAL IS TO LEVERAGE THE UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF BIOMULCH TO DEVELOP AND STUDY A NOVEL SYSTEM WHERE: 1) CROPS ARE SEEDED DIRECTLY ON TOP OF BIOMULCH, 2) TOP-DRESSED WITH COMPOST TO FACILITATE GERMINATION, AND 3) THE BIOMULCH IS USED TO REMOVE CROPS FROM THE FIELD OR LEFT TO BIODEGRADE. IN ADDITION TO IMPROVED WEED MANAGEMENT, WE EXPECT THAT BIOMULCH USE COULD REDUCE EXPOSURE TO FOODBORNE PATHOGENS, CONSERVE SOIL MOISTURE, MITIGATE EXTREME ROOT ZONE TEMPERATURES, AND INCREASE SOIL NITROGEN (WHEN ORGANIC FERTILIZERS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE BIOMULCH). WE WILL CONDUCT FIELD STUDIES IN ORGANIC SPINACH AND CARROTS TO: 1) QUANTIFY THE AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF SIX PROTOTYPE BIOMULCHES (VARYING IN MATERIALS, WEIGHT BASIS AND STRENGTH, AND BIODEGRADABILITY) AND TWO COMPOSTS; 2) DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF BIOMULCH AND COMPOST ON FOODBORNE PATHOGENS IN SOIL AND THE CROP RHIZO- AND PHYLLOSPHERE; AND 3) ESTIMATE PROFITABILITY OF THE BIOMULCH SYSTEM. PROJECT RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO ORGANIC FARMERS, RESEARCHERS, AND EDUCATORS THROUGH CONFERENCES, WEBINARS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS. BROADER IMPACTS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY INTEGRATING RESULTS INTO CURRICULUM FOR A NEW ONLINE COURSE, ORGANIC WEED MANAGEMENT INNOVATIONS FOR SPECIALTY CROPS, WHICH WILL SERVE ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC AUDIENCES AND INCLUDES SCHOLARSHIPS FOR BEGINNING AND RESOURCE-LIMITED FARMERS.