does anyone plant their veggie plants in that black fabric.

I need a gardener folks I know your out there!!!!

We have done raised beds and the fabric in the walking area as well as close to the plants. We didn't put it down the middle of the raised bed, we left that open for growth, but it was a lot let weeding doing it that way.
Worked well for about 3 years, we would use the baby tiller on the beds in the spring.

This year we re-tilled the whole thing and are going to make our raised beds the other way...still using the fabric between the rows.

i meant less weeding sorry typo

I've been using black plastic instead of fabric with plantings in a small valley in the middle so they can be more easily watered. Here in the high desert soil dries out quickly and the plastic seems to help keep it in. I poke small holes down the middle of the valley to distribute water more evenly.

Black plastic or black fabric do work very well. Drip irrigation system under them makes a great combo.

mulch - like grass clippings, or better yet leaves from the year before put down is better, in my opinion. Watch which leaves, though - oaks are more acidic (not as good for most). Maple leaves are more alkeline. You can roto-till the whole kit-n-kaboodle the next year...and it is good for your soil.

I was thinking of doing it for heat as I live in N wi and we do not get much heat, Peppers and tomatoes can be rough to grow, esp the peppers. I thought the plastic, fabric might retain more soil heat

Just lay down newspapers and top with grass clippings. It does the same thing and costs no money.

Great suggestion!

There's a school of gardening that ascribes to "no dig". Which means yeah, use some mulch, and then when you are ready to move to a new season of planting don't till, just add another layer of mulch. You may have to pull larger weeds, but smaller weeds will die out with the mulch layer. Never till just add layer upon layer of new composts, manures and mulches. Then you may call it raised bed gardening after awhile because the bed area is higher than surrounding walkways or furrows. You can choose to add sidewalls to keep it in check and confine the garden bed for better ease of additional layers. Not only does it prevent most weeds from sprouting and making it a much easier chore, but it enhances the soils ecosystem by not disturbing it by constant tilling it will incorporate as it breaks down and is tilled by earthworms.

I have had problems with weed barrier fabrics. Weeds grow through, water pools, the black over heats in hot summer and cooks produce touching it. The cheap thin stuff hardly lasts the season. Make sure you remove the weeds and lay down mulch of some kind before you put down the weed barrier, then you have to weight down the fabric so the wind can not lift it. I am trying the heavy duty white fabric this year. Will let you know how it goes.

Are you talking about those black fabric bags? If so, we just tried them out his year. Several different sizes, including the ones with the "windows" for potatoes. So far, we have planted strawberries, garlic, sweet potatoes, lima beans, french fingerling potatoes and getting ready to try some container corn in the bags. Everything we have planted is coming up perfectly! We simply planted everything as directed for ground planting except in the fabric bags. Water drains very well in them and they are holding up very well too. So far, we would definitely use them again.

If you are not talking about the fabric bags, sorry for the reply! LOL

As a fellow vegetable gardener, I found what you said here to be interesting and worth while.

Glad to hear it! Thank you! Those bags are so easy to use and move around the porch. We had to form chicken wire around them though because we have about 25 racoons that visit our backyard and you know how nosey they are. The chicken wire stops them from knocking the bags over.

I am getting too old to weed an acre garden, berry field, orchard etc. I live in the woods in a harsh climate with only a three month, if I am lucky growing season and grow most of my own food. This time I am trying this for a lot of reasons to make my life easier. More light reflection, hot summer over 100F heat reduction, sandy soil moisture protection, weed control, and extra freeze protection. White weed barrier. I have to make sure I get as many roots and weeds as possible, as much mulch as possible, pine needles, cardboard, news papers, wood chips, grass clippings under the new reusable fabric. Proper irrigation trenches and so on. I want to give this one a try.
I ordered one roll and decided on another two. [link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

newspapers cost money to buy!

I rely on Monsanto to weed my garden.

This new white cloth is thicker and more sturdy than live stock feed bags and sand bags. It is not total light blocking so I will have to use good mulch under it. It will not blow away in the wind or wear out in a few seasons, I am thinking at least 7 years. I will have to burn my cuts as it is woven and could unravel. I have tried everything else that has failed, no harm in keeping on trying. Will let you know how it goes and report back.

My land prepped, irrigation trenches, lots of decomposed pine needles gathered from the forest floor and feeding with garden tea should keep the ground nourished under the white weed barrier. It might look funny, like the snow covered land but oK, I am used to being snowed in for 6 months, I like the light reflection better than living on the west cost dark drabby, rainy cloudy days. It is an extra insulation blanket like the snow. This might work.

PS, I just put an acre of weeds under my hand dug fish safe tarp swimming pool to heat the water under the black tarp as it decomposes.

I have used the grey(same as black but thicker still allows water through).

I put it down with staples. Slice it and dig a small hole.
Then plant small plants(many I started months ago).

You could use this method with store purchased plants.


I mulch around each plant after around a week. To help the soil around them retain even more moisture.

I think the black fabric gets much hotter than the grey.It is just physics but I could never seem to do well with the black cloth.

This white cloth is thick and reusable, I can lift it up to rotate my crops with the same cuts for another area.