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Westford, MA

Visited Joe Post's patch last year, looking for male flowers and was introduced to a technique of covering the area of the patch not being used with, Black, Plastic or Weed Block Fabric???
It sounded like he had put down the weed cover in strips, and as the plant grew out he'd remove the next strip.
The material blocked the weeds, and the black material heated the soil.
Can anyone go into more detail?
Is it black Plastic, or Weed Block Fabric??
If it's Plastic are there problems I should watch for??
(Soil drying out, getting too hot and serilizing the soil,etc)
What do you tack it down with??
Any other methods for keeping down the weeds?
Got 11 more inches of the white stuff Monday.
Can't wait to put down some black stuff.

thanks
kevin

3/4/2009 10:48:10 AM

Santa Rosa, CA

Kevin,

I'm sure Joe can tell you exactly what he used last year.

If we have a cool spring, I have put down a product called VisPore. It helps warm the soil at the base of the plant and is very porous, so that water will go thru it. It also keeps the weeds down.

I used pieces that were 3' X 3' or 4' X 4' and made sure I cut out a little hole for the stem of the plant. I used some scrap lumber 1" X 2" and 2" X 4" to hold it down on the edges.

I would not use plastic.

You may want to check your local garden center or some of the fellow growers that sell growing supplies. I think Joel Holland sells it.

Good luck!

Chuck

3/4/2009 11:04:43 AM