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Garden Gate:  Greener Alternative to Black Plastic  |
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Mad Typist
True Blue Farmgirl
55 Posts
Faith
Vermont
55 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 4:32:51 PM
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Hey, Ladies - Since my garden plot was demolished in the wake of an addition on the barn last summer, I've decided to go with raised beds in the backyard near the chicken house this year. Does anyone have a suggestion of what to substitute for the black plastic that I've heard is popular as an underlayer? I want to encourage moisture retention in order to use less water but am concerned about possible toxins leaching into the soil from the plastic. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Love to you all!!
Back to the basics...four chickens, two dogs, one boy and a DH |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 6:11:54 PM
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| Well, Faith, your question caught my eye and made me want to go do a little research. I came up with a recommendation to use woven polypropylene weed barrier instead of the nasty black plastic. I found one source for different kinds of stuff that looks pretty good. I might order something from them myself if my farm co-op doesn't have something similar. Here you go: http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/ground-cover-fabric?gclid=CN20xJCh764CFUXc4Aod-jN8KQ |
Edited by - Rosemary on Mar 17 2012 6:12:41 PM |
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Mad Typist
True Blue Farmgirl
55 Posts
Faith
Vermont
55 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 06:05:28 AM
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Thank you so much, Mara; that looks like an excellent alternative and much safer, too. I'll check locally and if I can't find it, the link will be a valuable resource. I appreciate your feedback. Happy gardening! (It's going to be 70 degrees in northern Vermoont today and I'm reminding myself that all the house dirt will still be here later in the week after I'm done playing outside)! ;)
Back to the basics...four chickens, two dogs, one boy and a DH |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 09:17:40 AM
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Do you really even need the barrier? Unless you are building your raised beds on a patio or other surface that needs to be protected from the soil the barrier isn't necessary at all. Weed barrier fabric won't help keep water in because it is porous and the moisture will pass through it. The earth beneath your raised beds will do a much better job of retaining moisture and allowing it wick back up to your garden soil as the surface dries out. Just be sure you have plenty of compost mixed into the soil you are putting in your raised beds. Using plenty of compost in your soil and having a good layer of mulch on the surface will help prevent evaporation in the upper layers of soil. Good luck with your new garden!
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
http://blueskyanddaisies.blogspot.com
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 8:30:54 PM
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Good luck with your raised beds. We have raised beds here. We use cardboard and newspaper for the first layer/weed barrier. We use mulch on top. For moisture retention, it's all about the soil. I read about it once and it has to do with molecule size and surface tension. So different soils will hold water differently.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2012 : 05:10:32 AM
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I have used feed sacks as a weed barrier, but they only last a couple of years. I put pea gravel on top of them. But I wasn't growing anything there so I don't know if they could help you serve your purpose or not, just a thought. Farmtec catalog has the best prices that I have been able to find on various stuff like weed barrier stuff and pond liners. Tons of other cool stuff in them too.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies. |
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Mad Typist
True Blue Farmgirl
55 Posts
Faith
Vermont
55 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2012 : 3:40:11 PM
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Now that I think about it a bit more, it does make sense to concentrate on the quality of the soil rather than the material underneath it - I really don't imagine it's much fun to dig up a raised bed to replace the material later on, ugh! Thank you so much to everyone for all your wonderful ideas. You rock!!
Back to the basics...four chickens, two dogs, one boy and a DH |
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Patsy
True Blue Farmgirl
592 Posts
Illinois
USA
592 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2012 : 05:45:11 AM
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I am putting in a new raised bed this year and I am going to put lots of newspapers down before I put in the soil. Just wet the papers and it will kill any grass underneath. Then it just composts.
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Edited by - Patsy on Mar 22 2012 05:45:48 AM |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2012 : 3:09:03 PM
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We also use newspapers and cardboards. It'll compost right into the soil eventually. Our beds are raised. Good luck.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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Garden Gate: Greener Alternative to Black Plastic |
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Greener Alternative to Black Plastic
