And that's how we all deserve to be looked upon, you included (you are gorgeous!). Todd reminds me of my husband of twenty-six year's. Just a kind human being. 😊
Hey guys I know what you mean by naturally looking garden ,but it will help to lay down your mulch atop then your pavers down and with your flowers and herbs I'm sure it will still look beautiful, sometimes we have to make things easier on ourselves
The problem with mulch over the fabric is it provides a lodging place for soil and weed seeds and they will germinate and grow roots down through the fabric. Ask me how I know!
You aren't supposed to use any type of mulch on top of the black fabric when being used in the garden. It creates a great growing place for weed seeds!
@@cynthiafisher9907we still weed in that are through the summer but it’s much(!) easier. Then at the end of the season we remove it and put fresh in the spring. I know it’s not perfect and still requires work but we have terrible grasses here that if we’re having to mow or weeds at in between beds it turns into an impossible battle. So we take easier over impossible
Long time viewer but don't think I've ever commented before. I've loved your gardens in the past. It's been beautiful and full of nature. This trend of smothering everything in plastic disturbs me. Mother nature knows what she's doing. She hates bare soil and will cover it in weeds to protect it and what weeds grow where can tell you a lot about your soil and how you can "fix" it. I'm very much in the NO camp for this fabric. Take the time to learn what your garden is telling you instead of smothering it. BTW- I'm loving your gardening book!
I was always team No but am now absolutely team Yes. I cannot keep up with all the weeding that the size of my garden requires each season while still keeping house and three kids alive. It has lifted the burden tremendously. I have pavers over it on my paths but some areas are just the plastic. I plant tons of flowers in my garden and it helps keep it beautiful. And my back is FULLY team Yes. 😂
After the endless hours of weeding, gardening in mud and having times I wasn't able to get out there daily and the weeds taking over in a matter of days, I quit gardening. I felt like I was just failing. I took the plunge and put down the fabric. I now enjoy gardening again. And when life happens, you don't lose a bunch of crops being starved of nutrients because of weed pressure.
Truly you two are incredible. Your husband just adores you and I just love that in a couple. It warmed my heart. Your garden is going to be amazing. Can't wait to follow you both. Cheers Vancouver Canada
I am with Rachel, my garden is my place of peace and where I meet with God. I have cardboard down with woodchips on top of it in my seating area, my paths are also cardboard and wood chips. In my seating area I annually put down cardboard and more woodchips and it reduces the creeping Charlie.
I'm a team Yes, I use it pretty much everywhere. What I do to make it not look so bad is put mulch on top, in the raised beds I use straw and on the walk ways I cover them with wood chips to where I cannot see the black mulch. It does make the garden look nice and tidy and no weeds.
I put down landscape fabric several years ago. I love it so far. I’m 73 years old and it’s been a game changer for me. Like you I like a more organic look. I think some large pavers over the landscape fabric and in the space behind the cattle panel put pots of flowers so you have something for your eyes to land on
I am definitely a yes to fabric. I found that pulling/managing weeds took so much time away from my garden experience. I wasn’t able to tend to my plants the way I should. I put fabric down in my garden this year and already my stress of management is significantly reduced. Gives me more time to enjoy the fruits of my labor! ❤
Team yes! I have issues with energy and I would rather spend my limited energy on planting and harvesting rather than weeding. In our new flowerbed project we are putting rubber mulch on top of the weed fabric to make it pretty.
Yes team for the weeding part. Once your garden get to growing it won't look so drab. Plus you can always put mulch between your rows and cover the weed fabric up.
I moved at 65 taking all of my garden with me that could be dug by me alone. With the Bermuda jungle at the new home I ran the same material 3 foot wide each side of my peonies. Many of them are well over 100 years old and many I have had close to 50 years. I am adding a path to the edges, but the Bermuda has not crowded them or killed them. I did lose the largest one but in all they have survived so no regrets. I could not have kept up.
Agree that creeping Charlie is a reason for team yes. How about adding some wood chips on top in your seating area? Turns back into compost you can leave in the garden. Thanks for sharing with us! 😊
The woven ground cover is amazing!! We have it covering the whole garden with raised beds on top. No weeds or mowing. NO tics!!!! We love the stuff. Well, it's either weeding and breaking your back or that wonderful stuff on the ground. You'll get used to it and once everything is growing around the garden it will be so nice and neat. If you put stuff on top that breaks down weeds will grow and then it will have been a waste of money and time to put it down. The stuff you're putting down is the woven stuff and it won't break down, water goes right through it, it doesn't get hot. The other landscaper's fabric breaks down and is just not good. Think of the black as "black gold compost" or the black sands in HI. You really don't need to use the staples down the middle. Once you have things planted they will hold it down. So maybe just a few right down the middle of the 6 foot wide but not on the 3 or 4 foot stuff. 3 to 4 inch overlap is good. As long as the edges have enough staples so the wind doesn't get under it, it will be fine. You will be very happy with it by the end of summer. Thanks for sharing. God bless. We don't take ours up at the end of the season due to it being under the raised beds. It is still doing great and this will be its 5th summer. If you take yours up next year, you'll have use the same holes for the staples. Enjoy!!!
Living Traditions Homestead has had a lot of success with the landscape fabric. I’m with Rachel, I want a “natural” but managed looking garden. I try to stay away from plastics in all other parts of my life so I can’t see putting it in my favorite area of my property. Though I understand why people choose to use it.
I've got to say that in areas where you activity planting no fabric. But in areas where your not planting fabric is very useful in saving weeding work which can take joy out of gardening to. But the long turn use is a let down because what you put down that will not compost eventually has to come back up. I'm cursing that chore these days
I’m on team fabric! Year number one gardening, I lost the whole garden to weeds. I just plain couldn’t keep up with them. Year number two I put down the fabric and little to no weeding! Game changer! So worth the investment!
I added fabric to my garden last year and it was a game changer! I live in the south and the weeds are plentiful. So I didn't have to weed hardly at all. Which was good because I had the best garden season ever. ❤ I actually enjoyed going into the garden and picking just a weed here or there.
Rachel, I understand! I use landscape fabric in my main garden and love the ease of it there, but I didn’t in my kitchen garden until this past year. I hated it in my sitting area for the same reason. So I bought a couple rugs to put over the plastic. It helped so much and I actually enjoyed the area more.
I've been ripping out all the landscape cloth, that the previous owner of my home installed. Landscape cloth has it's place. If you put stone or pea gravel over the cloth, it really helps to keep the weeds down. However if you use mulch or wood chips. It decomposes and makes the perfect storm for weeds. It also keeps the worms for pulling the composted mulch/wood chips from being incorporated in the soil. I have left all the landscaping cloth in the walk ways with pea gravel.
I’m Team Love! I also, only use DeWitt woven weed cloth… used by nurseries - definitely, makes a big difference! I overlap pieces at least 6”. I try to keep in mind that each hole at landscape staples, around t-posts, trellises and burned through for plants is an access point for weeds! But, overall, I love it for the time savings that I can use to focus on Loving My Garden!!!
I feel the same way about ground cover. I started using it a few years ago. I have mobility issues and could no longer weed my garden. The ground cover has let me still garden. When we first put it down, I was about in tears because I thought it was so ugly, but after everything grew, it was covered in green, and it was better. It is so worth the time of not weeding. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Team YES I have a couple medical conditions that are a bit limiting. Without landscape fabric I would be pulling weeds all season long . It also keeps your plants and produce much cleaner
Oh, I'm definitely team landscape fabric! I do all the gardening by myself and wouldn't have time or energy to tackle the weeds, too. I have a friend who added it into her garden last year between the rows after gardening for 5 years without it, and was so thankful for more time to focus on her veggie plants. You're going to be thankful, but it is an adjustment.
I have raised beds that are 30” high, on top of the DeWitt fabric. I was glad to see your 10” overlap. Mine is only a couple, and the weeds grow through. I like the paver idea for the sitting area. If you put mulch in the walkways, look out, as that creeping Charlie will creep right into that mulch. As Living Traditions found out. Keep it as clear as possible. Rachel, your garden will be as lush as always. ❤❤
I’m on the kinda team. I’m with Rachel, I will use it but I HAVE to cover it. I love my garden for its natural beauty. I want to walk into my garden and feel the desire to be there. I don’t garden for production alone.
Team YES! I'll never go back to not using fabric. I can spend time caring for and harvesting my veg instead of a non stop battle with weeds. But it's got to be good quality fabric though, because if you use lesser quality stuff it will make you hate using it. And yourself 😅
I am a yes person when it comes to landscape fabric. My boyfriend brings home wire coat hangers and we cut them to use as the staples. Free and easy to use.
If I could have an "in ground" garden, I would definitely use landscape fabric. I hate pulling weeds! You could cover the fabric with a pretty brown mulch. That way you still have that organic look and feel but hopefully with no weeds.
I wish someone would come up with a brown / tan colored landscape fabric. I truly agree that it’s difficult to take that change. I honestly think it will feel better when your garden is booming with green plants colorful flowers and beautiful vegetables. Hoping an adventurous entrepreneur will understand we want a almost camouflage like good tough weed barrier 😂👍💚
I am team fabric. I have lost the war with weeds in my garden. I enjoy gardening more when I can focus on the produce out of the garden instead of the weeds. And I garden to can my garden goods.
Hey Todd and Rachel. My first garden was a 10x15 in my front yard and in order to kill off the grass I had to do the landscape fabric. My problem was it was so dang hot that I had to do something and I even considered spray painting it white because I hated looking at the black and I hated it being so hot. And then a woodchip truck was down the street and he was chipping up a tree so I had him dump those chips in my driveway and I just covered it with wood chips. After 3 years it turned basically into soil because I had covered it with wood chips over a 3-year period Every season and I eventually just pulled the landscaping fabric out and flipped over that soil on top of the area that I killed off with the black fabric and I had a beautiful lush garden again. Just consider keeping your cost down and getting a wood chip drop.. that'll be a little bit more organically looking aesthetically for you
I have been using the landscape fabric for 2 years now and I love it. Once the plants get big you really don't notice the fabric. When most gardens here in zone 9B have burned up because of heat and drought my garden is still lush and green. I put the sluggo on top of the fabric for my snail problem and it works great! Hope you have a good experience!
We most definitely use landscape fabric, we use it for crops that are in the ground all season. We don't have to weed or cultivate those crops. We use 8" staples from Nolts in PA, much cheaper. We have been using the same fabric for at least 6 years. We are market growers. We also use silage tarps to kill weeds and cover beds for when they are not in use, winter.
Pro landscape fabric here. It holds moisture, fights weeds. If you don’t keep it cleaned off weed seeds will sprout and grow in a teaspoon of dirt it seems. It cuts down on the weeding so much! Happy gardening.
I love the good gardening fabric! It helps the soil regenerate from the green/ weeds under it. Yes it's a pain to put In. But I didn't have to look at weeds taking over! I keep mine down for 2 years. I do put rabbit pio under every 2 years then I lay it back down. By the end of the season you'll see your pros and cons!
Definitely team YES. Gardening is hard work, but is my love. With rheumatoid and several other auto immune issues the fabric keeps it doable and enjoyable. Creeping Charlie still comes up in my raised beds and I can manage that. But between Charlie and bermuda grass I could not handle the size garden I have without the fabric.
Hi Guys, ... Rachel, put your mulch on top of the Landscape fabric. You'll have your organic look back. I've been gardening gor 50 plus years. I never liked the fabric till I realized how much time it saved me. I to have a tremendous issue with crabgrass, purslane, chokeweed and white clover. This has saved me great time in pulling and care in between my rows and our firepit area too. It gets harder every year to be on my knees pulling weeds. You'll fine your mulch on top will link wounderfull. And FYI if you use a non-treated mulch you can water down the mulch and grow your own mushrooms under your trellis too. Something I haven't noticed you grow.. I've had great success under benches between my Hydrangeas. Happygrdening!
I am on team no landscape fabric, but you know what's best for your garden. Partially due to the aesthetics but also my philosophy has been that the space is better spent companion planting and coplanting with things like cover crop to help reduce weeds and increase soil fertility (and aesthetics lol) or flowers to increase pollinator presence. And I just have to believe that more stuff growing in the soil and covering with a mulch increases the biodiversity/microbiome diversity of the plot. But either way glad you're off your sabbath year and excited to see what happens this year, thank you for all you do!
Landscape fabric seems like a good idea until it starts falling apart. I’m glad I only used it under one raised bed because when I decided to move it, the stuff was absolutely shredded under there.
Can't wait for your garden this year. I missed your videos with you in the garden. I have 5 new raised beds. Right now their buried under 2 + feet of snow. I'm growing more herbs this year. Summer savory, thyme, Thai basil and holy basil. My oregano made it through the winter. Hopefully it will survive the snow. Have a great day. Also, so glad Todd helps you with everything you need. ❤
I'm on the Yes team. My entire garden has it and also the inside of all my beds have it. But the open pathways are all covered with small rocks. I use it because I hate weeding.
I use it in a lot of ways. It cuts out a lot of work later. Like you, I work full time. The few weeds that come through the staple holes are easy to remove with a metal rake, standing up. I install it with a Staple Ease, standing up. And for Todd, I get long staples from the local meat market for free. They'll have metal coat hangers. Cut of the tops down to the straight part. Cut the bottom in half( with bolt cutters). I don't need to reuse them, because I don't remove the fabric. Just Amend the holes when planting. This saves a lot on amendments. I started off using it in pathways. Now, as beds rot, I'm covering everywhere, before putting up new raised beds. Of course my beds are at least a foot deep. I covered my front hill this year, because it's hard to mow, haven't decided what to plant there yet.
I’m on team whatever makes life easier and helps me enjoy my garden. And pulling weeds is not a joy to me. I understand your hearts desire for your garden to be pretty. How about cover the landscape fabric with mulch? It will Hide the fabric Bring back your brown organic matter And help hold the moisture for your plants. Just a thought. Love you guys Happy Gardening 2024 ❤️
As long as the fabrics being used in the right way, I’m all for landscape fabric. Underneath a rock base it works great. we still can get through it so I always use the cardboard underneath the landscape fabric. It helps tremendously and it’s easier to pull up the landscape fabric and get rid of it if you decide you don’t like it. Weeds don’t grow as quickly through the scenes if you use the cardboard underneath. this is only my experience so I would have to say as long as it’s used cautiously and with much thought it can be very useful in certain areas.
Team YES. Weeds are a lot of work, and as Hubby and I have aged, we want to use our energy more efficiently. We have raised beds except for our potato beds. A word of advice. Those 2 cuts where you wrapped around trellis need to have another layer, the weeds will come through that crack (they are persistent). Blessings.
I agree. Landscape fabric is not pretty to look at. But I use it in my garden. I spend enough time trying to keep weeds out of my raised beds. I do not want to have to worry about my pathways. I do not cover it with gravel or mulch, because it’s harder to keep clean.
This year I've been converting ALL of my garden paths and even under many of my metal raised beds to heavy duty landscape fabric. I have a rhizomatic grass that has been invading EVERYTHING and the more I pull, the better it spreads and grows. Plus, it is not easy for us to get free mulch where I live, so I cannot keep up with mulched pathways. I am looking so forward to a much more weed-free garden this year. I'm hoping that I can at least pull up the fabric of thee bottom of the raised beds in a few years when the fabric starts breaking down. Until then...Black pathways it is!
I love this time of the year. Things start to come alive. We noticed yesterday that our peach tree has hundreds of tiny peaches starting. I just planted some Black Beauty zucchini 's and pickle bush starts. We lost the pickles to our Labrador/Golden. She ran into the raised bed and onto the pickles. Oh well, we'll restart them. We are in southwest Georgia and our cabbages have bolted already. We have a very long growing season so we always have something growing. I finished our chicken coop today. But, with all that, I miss living in Michigan. We used to live in a big old farmhouse on Telegraph Rd. In Taylor. I would love to move back but my wife doesn't want the winters anymore. I love watching you two. Have a great time getting your garden going. Look at Living Traditions Homestead, they did an entire field of the weed block you have.
I love weed fabric because I HATE weeding. I have significant back problems, so this helps me keep a neat and tidy garden without a ton of physical strain. When the garden is lush, I hardly see the fabric.
I mulch up leaves and put them on top of the fabric. At the end of the season I can compost them. And put the fresh fall leaves down. My garden is a decent size but manageable. I put in raised beds for the majority of it. I still have a small section that is in ground and the sides of the house. Which I’m extremely happy I did the raised beds. I had a lumbar fusion in February.
I love woven landscape fabric this is my third season using it. once my plants are planted I dont have to weed at all except for the whole the plant is planted in. I work full time as well and it is nice to go into the garden when u get home to tend to the plants and not spend all ur time weeding. another idea to cover ur seating area would be pavers with a gravel sized rock in a contrasting color between the pavers it would look beautiful and u wont have to weed or do anything but enjoy the space
Yes. The only way I could gain ground (literally) from bind weed was to cover everything with heavy duty landscape cloth. So many benefits. Only negative was it looked ugly until plants matured but most gardens look a little unlovely in Spring.
I’ve had such great success with using my old Amazon boxes before putting down the fabric. It makes an incredible layer of darkness that nothing seems to wanna grow through and the cardboard card makes it extra dark for weed germination. You should try it just in the area where you’re going to be putting your chairs.
I use landscape cloth, covered by a thick layer of wood chips in the walking areas of my garden. And I don't bother with staples. I replenish the wood chips every couple of seasons. The landscape cloth doesn't show and it keeps out weeds effectively. However, no matter the quality of the cloth that you use, eventually weeds will start growing between the wood chips and the cloth. But then, the weeds are much easier to pull as their roots remain shallow. I've tried using plants as ground covers but I've never found any resilient enough to last.
I live in SC where Bermuda grass is king. And it will survive any apocalypse. So landscape fabric is the only way and even putting down cardboard, then brown paper and landscape fabric and then #57 rock and I still have grass. Just put some mulch or wood chips over the landscape fabric.
I live in town in an HOA neighborhood, so I have a tiny fenced garden in my back yard, I grow in containers. It's about 20x20. We put down landscaping fabric, mulched it then put our containers down. We fenced it in and put Solar light caps on the poles, it's white vinyl poles. Not your thing, I know, but it looks nice "in town". We have a watering system set up with soaker hoses. We just turn a knob and the watering is done. It is hardly any work at all. Lazy gardening 😆
I got so tired of weeding and wanted something easier around my raised beds so ended up getting that landscape fabric. I covered mine with chips but unfortunately I have moles and they mound up dirt along the edges of the raised beds which causes weeds to grow there, ugh 😩. But at least I’m not weeding as much as I used to.
I have used cardboard with mulch on top that works well for where I don't want weeds. This year, I am reusing the landscape fabric over my back yard to snuff out weeds until I can get grass or clover planted. When I remove the fabric to plant my lawn, I plan to use the landscape fabric on the walkways between beds with mulch on top. My beds are fine... a weed here or there. I also use azomite in my garden!
I’ve used the good landscape fabric to start each of my new garden areas, and wouldn’t have done it any other way. After a couple seasons, I’m able to pull it off and leave it off and just have my organic mulch. It has worked beautifully to start a garden Without herbicides.
YES Team I Gave up the look over the heart ache of not being able to keep up with the weeds. The plants will cover most of it up. And if you cover it up with something like mulch you defeat the purpose. Weed grow in and on anything they can germinate in. I use it on top of my raised bed and in the pathways. So clean. Just like your covers for your cabbage its a tool to help.
As much as I love it to keep weeds down it does start to breakdown after a while so get it out before it starts shredding. We switched to cardboard covered with mulch where you can see & just cardboard in other areas.
Team yes!! It saves me a ton of time weeding that I can dedicate to preserving! I just make sure to plan the garden layout so that I make sure majority of it is covered and I don’t have to see the fabric all season.
I was not a fan of the fabric, although what I used wasn't as thick. I use a bunch of cedar chip mulch now and love it. Weeds are mostly snuffed out, and the vigorous boogers come up easily since the soil is moist underneath. Either way, excited to see you guys back in the garden 😊. Have a great week everyone!
Hi Guys! Love your videos. You’re right, stakes/ staples are expensive! Instead of paying those prices I purchased stainless steel cable this year and make my own! Cut to the length I wanted and much cheaper!
This is my first year to have a garden. I couldn't tell you the difference between a weed and a produce so I'm all in for the fabric. Working full time and by myself, I could use all the help I can get. I hope it works out for me . good luck.
I’m team yes, but only in the walkways because I have balance issues and it helped us to make the walkways more stable for me to walk in. We covered the area around my two 12’x4’ raised beds with landscape fabric and then topped it with hardwood mulch to keep that more organic feeling and to level out the walkways.
It does keep the weeds at bay, but you need to keep it pretty tidy because if you have a little bit of soil or mulch or something that can serve as a medium to grow on it will allow for weeds to germinate on top of it and the little roots will go through the weave, which was the problem I had. Sara end Kevin from Living Traditions made a whole video on the pros and cons that I am sure it will help you.
I felt the same way about the weed fabric. Using wood chips helps give the natural look, and your garden will begin to grow and fill in. It is different, but it's also very helpful. My husband and I love your videos. They are helpful, fun, informative, and a pleasure. Thank you for all that you share with us!
I did landscape fabric between all my rows last year and will do that every year! I work full time as you both work full time and it is a game changer to maintain moisture and very little weeding. More time to just enjoy the garden!
I’m putting down landscaping fabric this year, there is a patch in the back of the garden that I can’t control the weeds. Once everything grows in you won’t be able to even notice the landscape fabric. ❤
We have a fenced in raised garden and I love sipping my coffee in the summer mornings. But the weed pressure was terrible. So we put down fabric and covered with small chipped rocks that compacts down and keeps the weeds out. And I love it. And was then easier to keep the weeds out of the beds and not aways weeding the paths around them. I definitely am on the team yes. Maybe wood chips over it would feel more natural to you.
Team No landscape fabric. I moved back to my childhood home 20 years ago. My mom moved to town 10 years before that. I am still finding remnants of the landscape fabric that she put down at least 35 years ago. It wreaks havoc on a lawnmower and weed-eater. It was obviously a high grade product to still be here but it is a mess when trying to dig, till, plant anything.
I use the woven weed fabric and cardboard. The fabric isn't pretty but as your plants grow up you won't even notice. Don't put mulch over it because the Charley and other weeds will root in the mulch. Also you need to keep it swept and be careful not to let anything grow in the holes. You got the good stuff. The "fabric" you buy at the big box store is worthless. You could put a patio rug over it in the sitting area to pretty it up a bit.
I am Definitely a YES!!! I love the weed fabric!!! It controls the weeds!!! I don't have the time for weeds my knees can't take it!!! God Bless Us All!!!
I use wood chips between my raised beds and I love it. It makes weeding manageable. You can add more as they break down. I think they would work well with the the cloth.
I started using landscape fabric as I deal with horsetail weed. While, I agree it doesn’t look as good, it makes me very happy when I go into my garden and I don’t have to spend an hour weeding every time. I also use a little plastic piece that the staple goes through and this works super well. A lot of staples come with it.
I'll never go back to not using landscape fabric. Love it because I want to tend to plants not weeds. We are older and our backs have limits, we still work and this fabric has been so wonderful. Once your plants are in full bloom you just see a beautiful flourishing garden. If soil gets in piles on top of the fabric weeds will grow in that dirt. I do like the long steak u found they are worth the money. You may be Be able to do one long then some short ones then a long to make it economical. But i will be watching how u do. Be burn holes for plants with care since u have mulch under it.u don't want a fire u can't see, maybe douse with water after u burn for plants. If u cut for plants it tends to fray in the wind in less u cut it then tuck ot inner n stake edges down for the holes. We do both.. enjoy. Its gets more lovely later. Ps we are not experts its our 3rd year..
I have had to take drastic measures to beat the weeds also. I feel your pain. After putting plastic over my beds with grow bags on top, I had my best garden year ever in terms of production and easier gardening! I weed wack around the beds down to the dirt to keep the weeds at bay. I have alot of thistles that run underground and I was tired of fighting them. So I'm team landscape fabric if thats what it takes for us to keep us gardening!
If I could garden without the ground cover I would. But here I have to use it. The weeds are so invasive and have deep roots that make them so hard to pull. I am older now and don't have the time and energy to pull those monster weeds. I can't keep up with the weeds and they still find holes where the stakes go through and they sneak through those holes. I find raised gardens are much easier but they still get weeds they are just easier to pull. So I 'm on the yes for the fabric!
