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Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
+10
EatYourVeggies
Grandpop
CindiLou
Too Tall Tomatoes
GWN
RoOsTeR
lisaphoto
littlejo
camprn
alan_marks59
14 posters
Page 1 of 1
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
GWN wrote:Moderation...... thats the word!!!
Oh great, now you share this wisdom. I had covered up an existing row garden about six weeks ago, that I inherited when I moved in. Prior to putting down the cardboard, I leveled it from rows to something resembling the Moon's surface.
Then, I had ground up approximately two cubic yards of Walnut leaves in my chipper/shredder, pine needles, etc., that were used to level and fill depressions. I spread and over lapped about five layers of refrigerator and other thick large appliance boxes I had gotten for free, from a furniture store, and specifically for this project. Being from the school of "More is better", I extended the boundaries of my garden, to its new improved size of 16' x 24' and for general size comparison, the truck pictured is my one ton F-350.
It's kind of large garden for a single guy, but in a couple of weeks, I'm planning on building six 3' or 4' x 6' SFG beds on top of the cardboard, adding a whole lot of Mel's Mix, then spreading bark dust around the beds, anywhere cardboard is showing. All of the harvested vegetables that I don't consume, are slated to go to family, then neighbors, and then the Clark County Food Bank, to help the community.
EatYourVeggies- Posts : 155
Join date : 2012-01-10
Age : 63
Location : Vancouver WA Zone 8a
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
TooTallT
My first box in 2010 was 4x8 by 12 inches deep with Mel's mix. Back then I had a hard time believing in 6 inches. Put 3 layers of cardboard over grass. No weed cloth. Used hardware cloth for critters. Twelve inches of Mel's mix is pretty heavy stuff and I have not had any weed problems.
My first box in 2010 was 4x8 by 12 inches deep with Mel's mix. Back then I had a hard time believing in 6 inches. Put 3 layers of cardboard over grass. No weed cloth. Used hardware cloth for critters. Twelve inches of Mel's mix is pretty heavy stuff and I have not had any weed problems.
llama momma
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4921
Join date : 2010-08-20
Location : Central Ohio zone 6a
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
I have an 8in box and a 12in box. I used weed cloth for both and the last few days I have had some kind of grass that after only a month has managed to push through the weed cloth and is coming up in my MM .
Any box I do from here out is *at least* having cardboard bottoms.
Any box I do from here out is *at least* having cardboard bottoms.
JK- Posts : 123
Join date : 2011-12-06
Age : 37
Location : Macon, Georgia
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
llama momma wrote:TooTallT
My first box in 2010 was 4x8 by 12 inches deep with Mel's mix. Back then I had a hard time believing in 6 inches. Put 3 layers of cardboard over grass. No weed cloth. Used hardware cloth for critters. Twelve inches of Mel's mix is pretty heavy stuff and I have not had any weed problems.
The area that I'm putting my boxes is just the typical grass and weeds. Nothing that really grows crazy. There's going to be anywhere between 12 and 20 inches of soil(top 8 inches across is Mel's Mix).
Since I have to dig up part of that grass to sink the boxes partly in, I should probably just dig it all up and cover it with layers of cardboard. The area that these boxes will cover is 80 sq feet.
Too Tall Tomatoes- Posts : 1069
Join date : 2011-10-24
Age : 53
Location : Pennsylvania, Zone 6A
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
It sounds good to me. I would be very comfortable with those depths and believe you are going to suppress a big majority of weeds. Still, as you know there are some almost super-weeds out there... but your description sounds like what I've encountered and am willing bet it'll be just fine. And you prob. know a little stuff will be wind blown in and birds can drop stuff in too no matter how hard you try.
llama momma
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4921
Join date : 2010-08-20
Location : Central Ohio zone 6a
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
Well moderation is not part of my vocabulary. It took me 15 minutes to remember that darn wordOh great, now you share this wisdom.
I was asking my DH, what is that word that people use then they want me to slow down..........................
GWN- Posts : 2804
Join date : 2012-01-14
Age : 67
Location : british columbia zone 5a
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
llama momma wrote:And you prob. know a little stuff will be wind blown in and birds can drop stuff in too no matter how hard you try.
I'm going to put up a bird feeding station nearby, maybe 10 feet away, and I would expect birds to drop stuff in my garden. Maybe I can encourage the birds to eat bad bugs that will probably inhabit my it.
Too Tall Tomatoes- Posts : 1069
Join date : 2011-10-24
Age : 53
Location : Pennsylvania, Zone 6A
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
GWN wrote:Well moderation is not part of my vocabulary. It took me 15 minutes to remember that darn wordOh great, now you share this wisdom.
I was asking my DH, what is that word that people use then they want me to slow down..........................
I would have said, "Chill" Honey!?
EatYourVeggies- Posts : 155
Join date : 2012-01-10
Age : 63
Location : Vancouver WA Zone 8a
WEEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So this is my first year to raised beds and was so excited. My friend told me to use 2 layers of weed clothe so I did....3 weeks later I have crab grass growing through!!! I still have a 3'x16' bed to do. Should I put cardboard under my weed clothe or over the weed clothe? I do NOT want to deal with grass!!! That was the whole purpose of getting this book and doing the SFG.
hopeless151- Posts : 44
Join date : 2012-03-22
Location : NE Oklahoma
Re: Cardboard vs garden cloth for weed block under raised beds?
Hopeless, that seems awfully fast for crabgrass to have grown through weedcloth. I wonder if some crabgrass seeds or roots were somehow mixed into your Mel's Mix. Using native soil in the beds will also bring along seeds and pieces of root that grow into weeds.
Furbalsmom- Posts : 3141
Join date : 2010-06-10
Age : 77
Location : Coastal Oregon, Zone 9a, Heat Zone 2 :(
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