Weed barrier question - it is under my SFG box.....

14 years ago

I am a newbie to SFG and have made my first two beds (both 4x8) after reading Mel's "All New SFG" book. After reading the book here is how I constructed my boxes - they are made out of 2-by lumber and are 8" high (or deep, depending on how you look at it). Because we have a LOT of bermuda and highly invasive grasses in our yard, I put down weed barrier. The weed barrier is also UNDER the boxes. I didn't think anything of it as Mel says you can also make containers with fixed bottoms and shouldn't have a problem.

I just found this forum tonight and have been reading and now am questioning what I did. Am I going to have problems with my plants not being able to grow? I planned on putting in all the normal garden stuff including corn, beans, peas, lettuce, etc. Is there anything I should NOT plant in these beds?

I have the Mel's mix in place already so it would be difficult to cut out the weed barrier without a lot of work. I guess I could try to pull it out from under after lifting up the sides of the box. I was planning on planting tomorrow!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Bari

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Comments (7)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years ago
The roots will not go thru the weed barrier, altho I'll wager the bermuda will make it up through if not this year then next.

Nonetheless, you have 8" of soil depth. Good enough for most crops, but you'll need to watch your soil moisture.

Dan
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bari779
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you for the reply, Dan. I have been doing more research and have decided I am going to have to remove the soil from each bed, move the frames and take up the weed barrier. I do have some cardboard boxes I can use to put down under the boxes instead.

I am discouraged and it will be a lot of extra work, but better to do it now I think. I don't have anything planted yet, so....

I sure wish I had found this forum BEFORE two days ago! (That's when I built these boxes!)

Thanks!
Bari
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bari779
Original Author
14 years ago
Well, I have taken all the weed barrier out from under my two boxes, so am ready to go again. Thanks for the help and information!

I will just have to continually fight the Bermuda encroachment!

Thanks,
Bari
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greenbean08_gw
14 years ago
I could be wrong (it's been over 10 years since I've lived with Bermuda) but I think it's not so hard to pull from nice soft soil. I remember pulling strands of it 3 or 4 feet long from my in-ground garden when I lived in Texas. I don't envy that battle though. It is persistent...I do remember that!

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener
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carytom
14 years ago
I put weed barrier under my planter. Did I do wrong?

Carytom
thom8632@aol.com
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eaglesgarden
14 years ago
carytom,

I wouldn't say you did "wrong". There are pros and cons to both sides. Some people around here act like weed barriers are the worst thing you can do in a garden, others not so much. They have their place.

I use it in the paths between my beds, with mulch on top. The mulch gets pulled off every two years and composted, and new mulch goes down. (this eliminates the mulch composting in place, and providing a grow medium for weeds to grow ON TOP of the barrier. This also gives me more compost on a regular basis, while not actually taking up extra space in my small yard.) But that is a fair amount of work. I like the look of the mulched walkways, and the extra compost, so I do it this way. Others prefer stone in walkways, others just grass which would be mowed. Those paths are too wide for my taste though, and just add to the mowing each week. I hate mowing!!!

As far as using weed barrier under the bed, I wouldn't say you did "wrong", but I would have used cardboard or a thick layer of newspaper. It works about the same, and breaks down so that deep loving roots can get deeper. Honestly though, it works either way. A thinner root zone for your crops just means that you have to watch the moisture level more closely (deeper roots access water at deeper levels and have more drought resistance).

There are just about as many different ways to garden as there are gardeners. Find the way that works for you.
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carolynp
14 years ago
Eaglesgarden is completely right. I put down a thick layer of cardboard because I have access to free cardboard. I have to point out that the weeds will still come, even with the barrier because many seeds (grass seeds especially) are wind born. Trying to keep weeds out of dirt is like trying to sweep in the middle of a hurricane. If you put the barrier down because you don't want weeds, I'd advocate for mulch instead. If I had seen the earlier post, I'd have told the person not to pull out the weed barrier. The point to sfg is to have an enjoyable experience that will frankly get you addicted to gardening forever (at least that's my experience, your mileage may vary.)
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Weed barrier question - it is under my SFG box.....

Comments (7)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

bari779
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Weed barrier question - it is under my SFG box.....

Comments (7)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

bari779Original Author

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bari779Original Author

greenbean08_gw

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bari779
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