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Georgia Gardener

I'm stuck, please offer some advice

15 years ago

I have my garden spot all ready (previous posts yada yada yada).

I put down some FREE nice black landscape fabric, the heavy duty kind.

I am uncertain how best to plant into it, so hence I have NOT planted INTO IT.

I wanted to put down newspaper and compost, but I got ahead of myself and only put down newspaper, then put down the fabric. I intend to put compost/mulch on top after things are planted.

The main reason for wanting the fabric is to control as best as possible WEEDS, Bermuda that snuck in last year.

I dont want to make this harder than necessary and now not knowing really the best way to work with this material has made me reluctant to even start. I'm tempted to pull it all up and just PLANT my garden as usual.

Can anyone offer some pros and cons to my dilema?

{{gwi:45781}}

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Comments (6)

Iris GW
15 years ago
This arrangement will not keep bermuda from getting in because bermuda will just go under it. Then by the time you figure out that it's there ... it will have settled in nicely.

Is this area for vegetable gardening?
rjinga
Original Author
15 years ago
yes, it's going to be my primary garden spot this year (I had only tomatoes planted here last year).

so should I just take up the fabric and hand pull the weeds? or maybe till it again and remove the grass that is there now? The bermuda only infringed on the perimeter of this bed, it fortunately did not get all the way in...and now I know of some spray that I can use to control it better (ornamec). which I intend to buy.
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Yes, a prep sink there fixes the prep counter issues we were discussing, assuming all the measurements work out (prep sink as drawn looks quite small -- I assume it'd be bigger in real life). A 60w x 40d prep counter with easy water access is ideal, as far as I'm concerned. I do really encourage you to mock things up, though. Tape off a 60w x 40d area on a table and try prepping there. See if you want more or less room in either direction. That's how I decided for myself that 6' was too wide for me, but there are plenty of people who would love such a wide counter. Carrie B (a gardenwebber who just remodeled her kitchen) tested 30" deep counters when she was planning and found them to be uncomfortably deep for her and required too much stretching. I forget how tall she is, but she is on the short end, so that is why deep counters were uncomfortable for her (difficult for her to reach the full depth). I'm 5'9", and I love extra depth in my prep counter and have no trouble reaching anything. You will want to use the counter on both sides of the sink, so the counter in front of the seat closest to the prep sink will likely always be in use while cooking and often wet. You can put a seat there, but I think it will not be a popular seat. Trash should go under the prep counter/prep sink somewhere. You generate almost all your trash while prepping, not while doing dishes at the clean-up sink. The walkway between the prep counter and cooktop looks very narrow. Like, 30" wide, which would be ridiculously uncomfortable. How wide is it actually meant to be in your approximation? The island is huge and very deep in places and almost square-shaped. Slabs come in rectangles usually, so you are probably setting yourself up for a gnarly seam if you get stone/quartz. What counter material did you have in mind? Very deep counters can be hard to clean because you can't reach all the way across or even to the middle. Try making a to-scale island top out of cardboard in this shape, put it on table and see how you feel about wiping that counter down.
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Iris GW
15 years ago
I know for ornamental landscapes, the fabric is not recommended much anymore.

Be careful about tilling while bermuda is still in there - each one of the chopped pieces will sprout, magnifying your problem.
girlgroupgirl
15 years ago
Ah, Bermuda Grass.
The only organic control for it is repeated sprays with horticultural grade vinegar or DIGGING and keeping it dug. Esh is right, you till and you have a much bigger mess on your hands. I had this problem with some Johnson's grass. I spent 6 months (Much larger area than you) picking it out piece by piece. I mean every tiny root (because they tilled) in my entire front yard. Got every spec and never had it come back.
You need to do it.

GGG
nippersdad
15 years ago
I have found that a thick layer of mulch makes it much easier to pull what is there. The rhizomes grow up into the mulch and the stems become fewer and longer...thus it is easier to pull! I am afraid it is still in the bed of which I speak, but it is really thin and manageable without the need for sprays.

That black plastic(?) would be useful for sterilizing the bed were you to put down a thick, well watered mulch and then put the plastic OVER it, thus broiling out weed seeds etc. prior to planting a bed. Unfortunately, this takes several months to truly work well. Too late for this space, but just in time for next years' beds!
cyrus_gardner
15 years ago
I don't know about BERMUDA grass situation, BUT
(a big one) landscape fabric WILL NOT prevent most weeds.
Most weeds (the unwanted vegetation) are spread by seeds.
Call them seed weed(hehe). They will grow on mulch, compost
or anything else.

There is one thing that is not clear to me;

WHAT AND WHERE YOU WANT TO PLANT ON THIS FABRIC???
This fabric is more suitable for landscaping with trees and shrubs, not for vegetable gardening and flower beds.In veggie garden every square inch is utilized.

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