I hate to weed my garden. This time of year the dandelions are in bloom and the Norway Maples will soon be dropping their winged seeds. With virgin growing medium in my raised bed there is no better time to act.
I planned ahead, a bit, and purchased plastic sheet mulch online from Burpee.com. This is the kind of plastic seen on vegetable farms. Plastic mulch keeps out the weed seeds, warms the soil by a few degrees and keeps the moisture in the soil. This red "Tomato Mulch" is suppose to increase tomato production 20% by reflecting the red light up under the leaves. I will settle for keeping out the weed seeds and preserving moisture in the soil. A major reason I purchased the red mulch over any other kind is because it was 4'/1.2m wide. That width will cover the bed completely with no seams under which weed seeds could find their way to the soil.
I laid out the mulch on the bed from side to side. I cut the length adding about 3"/76mm to the 4'/1.2m needed. Just to be safe.
I pegged down the corners to keep the mulch in place. I don't need to be chasing it around the yard. Besides it won't be of much use if is not held in place.
I might still hate weeds but I will not have to pull weeds from the garden.
©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved
I might still hate weeds but I will not have to pull weeds from the garden.
©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved
It seems to be a good practice to use plastic sheet mulch for plants to prevent weed growth.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly worked well from me. Especially with the drip irrigation beneath. I also think it responsible for early warming of the soil which resulted in early tomato harvest.
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