MOOSE JAW — Three springs ago the arthritis was so bad the idea of weeding the garden made me feel ill.
After a bit of research I came across a plan to eliminate almost all of the weeding — landscape fabric.
Placing landscape fabric between the rows definitely kept the weeds to a minimum.
That summer of 2023 the garden was lush, the tomato patch looked like a jungle.
But there was one weed issue I hadn’t counted on. The bare area between plants in the rows was prolific with weeds.
I’d never seen weeds that high. Because the garden was a jungle there was no way to control the weeds.
The following year the entire garden was covered with fabric. Holes were dug for plant seedlings and potatoes.
A small bare patch left for rows of peas, beans and carrots required some weeding.
The garden yield was really good, with one exception.
Since the potato area was under fabric I was unable to hill them. The potatoes yielded about two-thirds of usual.
One worry about fabric was the loss of benefits from earthworms. I still have lots of these worms.
I buy a low-grade fabric. By the end of summer some holes will appear from walking and moving hoses but nothing material.
It is surprising to see how weeds grow three or four feet horizontally under the fabric to find a little hole.
The garden is still fun and my arthritis doesn’t bother me as much as it could.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
