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the importance of row covers [ weed preventive mats ]

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Chicken

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just a little observence that ive noticed,

i like to have all my rows covered no matter what im growing be it bacca... or my veggie garden,

im speaking from my experience only.. i have used the '' bio-degradable '' mats and they are worthless... didnt even last a hot 30 days before i noticed the mat was starting to deteriate,

using a weed barrier mat is good, for keeping weeds out of what your growing,, i mean no sense in a weed getting the nutrients that you want your plant to get,,,

plus they are good for holding your drip-line in place if your using a drip-line,,,

and this fall i noticed that when i was tilling my area. for the fall garden. that the soil that was under one of my '' plastic'' weed barrier mats was a lot looser than the soil '' in between the rows '' was. which tells me that the rain has packed the soil. so i.m.o. soil under the mat stays loose which in turn equals more root development, and the bigger the root.. the bigger the plant,

so im sold on covering all my rows,,,, just thought i'd share what ive noticed.

AND HOPE IT HELPS OTHERS,,
 

bonehead

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the area between my rows gets compact also, but i think in my garden it is because of a tobacco hoarder checking,careing and priming the plants. weeds suck a lot of life from anything you grow. i usually use landscape fabric in my garden every year and this year i didn't and had to hoe and weed 3 or 4 times but i had my best year ever. row coverings definately save a lot of time and energy. i don't know if the stars aligned or what for me this year but my only problem was aphids. time to try the admire next spring.
 

Smokin Harley

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This year since all the rain we had came in at least 3 floods at the most inopportune time...the veggie portion just gave way to a grove of weeds that while I was busy working 12 hour night shifts almost all summer, I didn't have any time whatsoever to cultivate them out and with no actual vegetables for any kind of reward , I really didn't care anymore except for my tobacco which was doing just fine on the higher ground,shading its own soil and the weeds didn't grow. So, When I finally did get time to clear them away I was able to get many of the tall kinds cleared but still had my arch nemesis ,purslane ("pusley" if you're that sort)to deal with . I've always been against spraying any kind of unnatural and harmful pesticides but in the last few weeks I had no other choice to eradicate this stuff than to resort to some heavy duty herbicide . I had tilled the garden much earlier than previous years when I'd normally still be harvesting. Then we had some rains and sunshine and our early Indian Summer...the purslane was back in miniature multitudes. So, I applied a batch of Spectracide mixed with white vinegar and dish soap (relieves the surface tension of water on a leaf such as purslane which is a waxy succulent) while it was young and maybe more intolerant . It did ok, but just knocked back a little. So, I waited another week and I hit it again, knocked out some more but the rest in patches was still looking at me all green and happy. Then we started getting frosty mornings and warm sunny days ...I hit it one more time and by the end of the day it was curled up like the wicked witch of the west after water was thrown on her...I hit it one more time in two days and then with the last 3 mornings with heavy frost until almost 9 am, I think it is finally done, I hope anyway. I need to run the newly repowered Troybilt through the patch just because I cant just put it away for 6 months after all that work. Besides the addition of at least 6 yards of garden soil needed in the low spot , I may try to start using some kind of weed barrier next season and keep these rascals at bay.
 

SmokesAhoy

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Purslane is good! It was a weed for me too until I started making salad from it, then I couldn't get enough of it hehe. Same thing with lamb's quarters and amaranth, better than spinach and once you find yourself harvesting it while out suckering you'll be getting two things done at once and the weeds will be kept down
 

Smokin Harley

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I ate some years ago , some Mexican dude I worked with made goat tacos with it ...it wasn't all that , not for me anyway.
 

Chicken

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Ive done a lot of research on different types of mat..and the good stuff.what i call " greenhouse or nursey grade" is very expensive but last for many years....in my travels i go by a guys house that has what looks like at one time a small nursery..the fabric.mat material is still there and looking good..
The next time i go by there.im gonna put a note in his mailbox and see if hed like to sell it..hes also got the metal frame for a big greenhouse..if the price is right id like to get it also.
 

DIY Pete

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My favorite weed mat type material is news paper covered with a natural mulch that can be tilled into the garden at the end of the season. My personal choice is grass clippings. It has always worked well for me with the only downside being that it sometimes degrades too fast. I love the price, free.

Pete
 

Jack in NB

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Great stuff!

I'm using the 4 ft wide fabric the commercial veggie growers use - bought a roll end for a pittance. It covers the drip tape. Mine has just completed its fourth season, and will be good for another year. I anchor it down with rocks - this soil seems to grow them as well as plants!

The deer punch the odd hole in the fabric in their wandering - judiciously placed rocks plug the holes in later years.
Only the odd weed pokes its head through in the patch now. It sure is nice seeing those plants growing as I sit nearby, enjoying the leisure time I'd normally spend weeding!

The combination of drip tape and the fabric cover doubled the plant growth in early experiments, so I use them all the time now.

Highly recommended!
 

Chicken

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well the fall garden is coming along nicelly and the row covering is going great

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