Andy asks:
I've read that some posters here use black plastic with plants like tomatoes, and probably others as well.
So, it sounds like a really good idea.
Are there any disadvantages to using black plastic that I should be aware of ?
Thanks for any advice on this subject ..
Andy in Eureka, Texas
The one I can think of is making your soil too warm.
*** Disadvantages of Black Plastic ***
Initial Expense It/s Ugly Adds nothing to the improve fertility It/s Ugly Makes applying fertilizer difficult It/s Ugly Makes watering difficult PIA to clean up when the season/s over Eventually ends up in a landfill
Did I mention that it/s ugly?
Hey Andy
For the first time this year, we used some black plastic weed cloth in our garden. We freshly tilled an area to plant corn in and it was surely going to be full of grass so we gave it a shot. We usually cover out pathways with straw so we covered it too and it blends in pretty well, and no grass in our corn. The weedcloth (WalMart - $10 for about 120' x 3') says it's good for several years and it lets moisture and nutrients in. I think the straw will help keep the soil from heating up too much too.
It might be ugly, but it's pretty much out of sight and no grass in my corn.
Kate
:
Your garden is similar to mine. I have the individual raised beds like that and used the black fabric between them, covering them with mulch. It's the perfect slug defense.
I also find it's better to buy the 25 year fabric. It's thicker than the
5 year stuff and cuts out more light...
I use weed cloth, which is black, but not plastic. I want something that's going to let the moisture in, but keep the weeds down. Depending on your weeds, it works pretty well. Some persistent ones will try and grow out the same hole as the tomato, and crab grass will grow right over it. It still prevents hours and hours of weeding, though.
I cover over the weed paper with pine bark mulch, and rake it off in the winter before I till the garden again.
Unless you have an irrigation system that runs under the plastic, watering can be an issue. That's why I use a permeable weed paper.
Penelope
The weed paper itself is good for years, but you might have to take it up to keep things like crab grass from growing right over top of it. And lemon basil has been know to sprout on top of it, and put roots right down through it, but lemon basil runs amok in my yard.
Nice garden! I wished mine looked as tidy.
Penelope
What about landscaping/weed control fabric, topped with mulch? I'd considered using that for weed control.....
You are talking weed cloth... Not black plastic. ;-) I don't think the two are the same?
Unless I/m mistaken, the weed cloth pictured in Kate/s garden and also used by others in this thread is used to keep weeds down in the rows / walkways between the beds.
Why not just leave a narrow strip between the beds and use a mower?
May/s garden...
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