Weed Control Question

After a few years of fighting ever more weeds, I am ready to admit defeat (due in part to laziness) and go with some sort of a mulch (I'm assuming a thin manufactured film but I am open to other ideas) to control weeds. What have y'all found to be effective and inexpensive?

Man, I NEVER saw weeds like when I lived in Arizona! WOW! I moved back to Virginia, and invested in that film. I hate it. Maybe it worked, for I do not have many weeds, but every time I plant something, I hit that film, and have to cut it to allow for a hole for something new. I also put those garden staples in to hold the film and keep running into them when I'm excavating for a new plant.
I'd say to invest in a yard crew to come around and get those horrid weeds under control.

The problem with a fabric weed barrier is that as the mulch begins to deteriorate, becoming more like soil than bark, the weeds will begin to grow ON TOP of the fabric. They will put down roots through the fabric and now you have a big problem. It is almost impossible to pull those weeds out.

Ken

Some of the fabrics I am looking at are thin plastic and even paper that supposedly biodegrade over the course of the season. They are solid, not woven. I, too, have heard that some other types result in horrendous problems and I would avoid those varieties.

Plastic does not biodegrade, although it does break down into small pieces. (The "biodegradable" packaging sometimes sold has to be composted at high temperatures to do so.)

Cardboard is popular, but mulch on top or it blows away. One thing people use here for semi-permanent pathways and such is old carpet turned upside down. However the vast majority of carpet also doesn't biodegrade and I think you'd end up with polyester yard everywhere.

The materials I am referring to are often called "solar mulches" and can be seen here: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-233-mulches-landscape-fabric.aspx?source=W_ToolsSq4_Mulches_042014.

The biodegradeability comment was in reference to the paper product. Another one that biodegrades is corn starch based. One fear I have in using these products in a warm climate is that they might make the soil too hot?

Nicole--I used to travel to Huntsville a lot for business and I really liked it. One keen memory of my Huntsville trips was being in Bubba's Sushi Bar (was downtown and is now gone) during a tornado warning. Fierce rain, sirens going off and no one seemed too worried.

After all the tornadoes in the southeast the past few years, and all the destruction and deaths, I can assure you, no one takes the warnings/sirens lightly any longer. Be glad you are in AZ, Willy. No hurricanes, no ice storms, and no tornadoes - at least I don't think you have these conditions.

Ken

When I lived in Arizona, I mostly raised fruit trees, but I used organic mulches on my small veggie garden, and never had much trouble with weeds.

I find that bark chunks seem to reduce the number of weeds, and make them easier to pull.

Or maybe, because I put in the effort and expense of laying down bark in my favorite beds, I weed those more often.

Also, I pamper those beds with compost and water, and plant more densely. If the vegetables are very close together, fewer new weeds sprout.

>> I used organic mulches on my small veggie garden

I don;t have these materials available cheaply, but I've heard people speak well of wood chips, pine needles, leaves, and spoiled hay.

My difficulty with organic mulches is that I'm trying to do an area about of 3,000 square feet. About 50 tomatoes, vine plants like melons and squash, etc.

Ahhh! First, back up several railroad cars of mulch adjacent to your field, and then hundreds of volunteers with wheelbarrows ...

I see your point about plastic film. Like the Big Boys do it.

Here, 10" of straw and hay lasts about a month in summer. It breaks down way too fast. But tree services will bring you free wood chips.

We just received our package of plastic for our garden. We grow 6000 sq ft of veggies. Google "plasticulture" or "plastic mulch" there is a ton of info. It's been in use since the 60's for weed control as well as for early production. We live in Western Colorado and weeds are a huge problem since all the irrigation is full of weed seeds. Look at all the pics when you search for plastic mulch. There will be hints on planting, laying, removing, etc. Good luck.