The TRUTH about WOVEN WEED FREE LANDSCAPE FABRIC is it Organic. Lets find out.
Weed free mulch and garden soil.
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Seeds USED From : johnnyseeds.com
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I use landscape fabric too. I can't garden without it because of weed pressure.
Good soil biology can and does break down pollutants including petroleum inputs.
This would make for a good discussion. John S.
can weeds still go through it?
Mark, one of the things you should be aware of is the plastic numbers. On many plastic products (not all of course, but things like bottles, containers, buckets, etc), you can find the 'number' in a little triangle. This number correlates to what type of plastic the material is. Then go look up the number on google. The type of plastic & number correlates to how safe it is for different applications (mostly to eat or drink out of or even to use in agricultural applications).
Mark, could you not incorporate cover crops as your mulch/soil armor? For bigger no-till operations there's no-till seeders now or even machines that will get past the mulch layer from a cover crop to seed. Probably not applicable here as it's expensive initial purchase last I heard.
I know you were using some cover crops last year. Also, for many reasons that I know you're aware of, it will do much better than any inorganic mulches and even better than other organic mulches (e.g. living roots, exudates, soil structure, glomalin, mycorrhizae, etc)
As an aside, in my very small backyard urban plot, I planted a mix of crimson clover, red clover, buckwheat, and spring wheat 2-3 weeks ago (was supposed to be hard red/winter wheat, but the producer and store had the product poorly labelled and believed it was hard red wheat when I bought, but instead later informed me after sowing that it was spring wheat). I suppose I won't have a living root in ground over winter besides the hardneck garlic I'll be growing in part of the plot.
What I think we need to remember is will the non organic particles that are going into the soil be plant available, Mark you have done numerous videos on plant available nutrients. Will these plastics, rubber etc be broken down into a solution that plants can take up, will the micro organisms break them into that solution, I personally don't think it is a concern to use woven fabric or cardboard to supress weeds and protect your soil from erosion etc. As for weeds, I tend to let them grow unless they get larger than the plant then i just cut the tops before going to seed and my crops grow just as well plus other benefits are putting carbon back into the soil, help with moisture retention and cut down on new weed growth.
Chris from England
Very interesting and thank you for sharing. Don’t they dye colored wood chip mulch with arsenic which I think would be worse for our health than cardboard boxes and landscaping fabric.
We used fabric on some of our tomatoes and peppers this year and it is fantastic.
Sometimes perfect is the enemy of good.
Mark; you can only do what you can do and you do it well through a thoughtful process.
Thanks mate. Always appreciate the info and perspectives.
The purist, near mercenary mindset of some promoting organic standards is wholly non-productive. My growers group strives for "all natural." We can't afford nor do we want organic certification. We have "fired" buyers & supporters for thier insistence on imposing unnatainable, unaffordable standard. All profits get ploughed back into the operation to support the "give away/charity" end of our efforts.
When we turn the tables on purists, challenging them to grow it their way, they fold. Even a promise to purchase their product doesn't entice them to act or perform per to the impossible standards they seek to impose. "I would do this, that or some other way" only applies when they are trying to direct others.
"Start & manage your own organic operation or shut up"… & finally "Get off my lawn" is giving us all more time to grow.
Why not plant some Sudan grass and grow your own mulch? Could have had those rows seeded in the time it took to make this video.
Really appreciate the update on cardboard boxes, that is news to me. Haven't been using it that much so no big loss really. I will stick to what comes from nature directly … leaves, wood-chips and low seed hay all harvested on the farm. If it takes work to produce or collect on farm so be it. Don't forget that if you get the fungus to bacterial ration 1:1 the weeds will not grow in the first place.
14k taxation on the farm is criminal, and if it forces farmers to use unnatural methods to grow crops it is double criminal, shame on them. It takes courage to make a living farming while also keeping chemicals out of the garden. There is going to have to be a time when environmental and health concerns will not be forgiving.
Thank you for taking the time to give us the information needed to make choices that suit each of our circumstances . Much appreciated as always. Stay safe.
Why haven't you ever tried a hügelkultur mound? I've done it for a few years (mostly winter squash), taking my chicken and goat bedding and just dumping on top. great results with high yields. Also, have you ever done decorative pumpkins? super high yields and always grow in places I don't want them to grow. Luckily I have 52acres, so I just leave them grow as long as they are not in the way……although they come up in Sept rather than Oct, so I just decorate for Halloween early.
Great video Mark, you could literally spend a week on this subject. We use the same fabric and all have pros and cons. Where it shines is weed suppression and raising soil temps.
As usual, very informative. I learn something new from you with each video. Thank you
Mark, I use that same weed barrier .. I see you are using 6" staples in loose soil so thats why the wind can raise it up. How far do you space your staples? I use the 8" ones every foot … seems to work great and no problems with wind … I go thru a lot of staples. But you have very good loose soil, so not sure if even the 8" ones would hold yours down good.
You can try sand bags to hold down the fabric.
I use the landscape fabric around my raised beds. I staple them along the edges and down the middle approx. 12" apart. I live in a windy area which has seen over 50 mph winds almost every planting season and have never had any problem with wind. If staples aren't placed close together, the fabric will get blown around. Good luck!
I use that stuff (along with galvanized welded mesh) to make air pruning planters and raised beds. Best bang for buck by far.
Your whole argument rests on fatalism. We are surrounded by plastic, so let's throw our hands up in the air and acquiesce in the folly of rejecting the realities put in place when Jesus Christ created this world. I think I'll stick with the folks that enjoy wonderful growth, and amazing weed control, without using plastic.
Wow…. hope you can get a good price for your produce with those taxes. Thanks for the video.
Ever look into sheep wool Garden felt?
Let’s not forget that even the leaves that you use have probably absorbed those “micro-plastic” particles…
Welcome to my world:) Wood chips and many of the things that I see as "free resources" on Youtube has been gobbled up by companies here in NZ for a long time and we're forced to buy it from landscaping companies.
I’m in NJ and wood chips are easy to get for free from the tree cutting company, cardboard are free for me because of my job it’s plain cardboard and I took off any tape and what ever it is.