We’ve only ever gardened in raised beds, and therefore, we’ve never had to worry too much about weeds. Sure, we’d get a few here and there last year, but this year… we are overwhelmed with weeds. 

Last year, Tyler sowed grass near our beds, and this year, both grass and weeds are growing great in the beds… Oops. Rex noticed first, and on his own volition, weeded his garden to make it look better. Jude’s and Morris’s isn’t quite so bad, as green bean plants are taking up room, but my mostly bare garden is full of them. So, we laid some landscape fabric down in Rex’s and mine, which he said looks ugly and messy. I’ll remove it once the plants are growing better.

The real weedy nightmare is at the community garden. I’m a little embarrassed with the donation plot, as it is so full of thistles (I was told the thistles were accidentally tilled last season, and they’ve multiplied.) and too many weeds between rows of green bean and tomato plants. I think some of the weeds hogged the space for the green beans to sprout, so I also have some empty spaces where green bean plants should be. Shoot. Our family plot isn’t much better, although it doesn’t have thistles and more green bean plants made it.

I decided that I don’t have time to come weed every night, so I came up with a solution: landscape fabric and black mulch. At least, I think it will help.

Oh my hotness, what a job it was! I had to get it done, and I picked the coolest day of the week, but it was still 88 degrees. The boys weeded tiny, but densely populated areas of the gardens. They were troopers, but all three ended up sitting in my truck as soon as they were done (for fear I’d make them do more?). I finished the job: cutting, then staking the fabric, slitting the fabric for the plants to come through, cutting fabric around tomato plants, then laying the mulch between all the plants. Geesh, I hope it helps.