seeds with burlap..

Sparky1961

13 years ago

Wwe 6, 13 at 18:29

Hi all! I used to be in these forums years ago (i cannot even recall my user name) but am returning! I am glad to be back. I have not had the chance to garden for awhile.

I am attempting Interbay Mulch in raised beds (4 x 4 beds) using 2 used coffee bags for cover (some overlap a little more than that. I got started in Feb (out of my control, I moved) with a lot of chopped leaves and sttray greens and added some but not enough greens (like coffee grounds and chopped scraps). I am correcting that as best I can with composted cow manure and organic nitrogen sources.it is doing ok and I think it will be ok to plant in for seedlings and will use organic seed starter in litttle areas (poke my finger in and fill with seed starter mix ) where i plant seeds to give them a wasy to grow in ligher but good stuff. i feel ok that its broken down enough to suppoort veggies if I keep an eye on nutrition with fish/seaweed emulsion and such--at least at first. Even tho I started late.

For transplants I'm going to cut through the burlap and plant. (i also plan to have a gride made out old plastic venetian blind slats---i think over the burlap and nailed to the sides of the bed) to help with the square foot gardening thing---

HERE IS MY QUESTION tho. I'd like to keep the burlap on all season to serve as weed barrier/mulch. I am concerned about the best way to genrminate my seeds given I do not want to remove or pull aside the burlap---should I cut a round hole in the burlap or maybe a cross where I plant a seed? Or should I keep burlap over the seed--- then cut a hole around seedlings under the burlap after the sprout?

THANKS! I'm focused on the seedlings but other suggestions for hastening breakdown of this bed are welcome. In this area e

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Comments (4)

ericengelmann
13 years ago
I use coffee bags for soil cover after too-early-for-planting tilling, but haven't tried using them a full season. I was nervous they wouldn't decompose and I'd be left with a heavily soil impregnated burlap/jute mess. I'm eager to hear how your experiment turns out.

I'd cut a cross and stake the flaps away from the seed until it's grown large enough to handle flapping.
2ajsmama
13 years ago
I found last year that the weeds grew right through the burlap and it was a pain cutting it to transplant tomatoes. Had to cover it with old hay.

I did cover the raised beds and the roots of the raspberries (and canes of the Triple Crown blackberries) with new used coffee bags for winter. We didn't have an awful lot of snow, the berry canes look great, the burlap over the bare beds didn't decompose much and the bags over the berries not really at all. The shredded leaves under the burlap on the beds didn't decompose either, I guess b/c it has been so dry. Not many weeds either (some where corners of bags flipped up by wind and ground exposed), they were easy to pull but that could have been the dry weather too.

The bags were great last year in heavy layers in the pathways though. I'm going to try to get more to smother the ragweed that is creeping into my tomato area - I think it came in with manure that was dumped outside the fence, but even a heavy application of woodchips didn't smother it last year, it just grew through them and I can't keep up with pulling it up (strong roots).
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seysonn
13 years ago
IMO, burlap is not an effective weed control cover.
Another thing , probably won't decompose for a long time.

use mulch(whenever I can), that will eventally become a soil improver. I like free stuff like tree leavrs, pine needles, wheat straw. if you have small garden(,Under 100 sqr.ft), you can just enjoy weedind a few minutes a day and cultivate the soill. Weeding is essential in the first half of the season when your plant are small and weeds compete with them for nutrients. After that small weeds should not be a problem. actually some of it can be benefitial.
Sparky1961
Original Author
13 years ago
Still looking for thought on germinating under burlap...Thanks for the idea of cutting crosses and pinning flaps back. And the other thoughts.Im committed to the burlap coffee bags this year...i find find a layer of two is excellent and any weeds are weak.

Not worried about too much burlap. Do others have thought on my main question? o others?