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How to use black plastic to kill weeds and clear land
GARDENING· GARDENING TIPS· KITCHEN GARDENING
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Black plastic mulch can kill grass and weeds to make space for a vegetable garden. It’s an eco-friendly way to clear land without having to use herbicides.
Once the excitement of starting a new garden wears off, the questions begin. One of the most common is ‘How do I convert a piece of lawn, or overgrown allotment, into a productive garden?’ The best way to begin is to remove any unwanted features and vegetation, especially perennial weeds. If your goal is to grow organically, there’s an easy way for you to do this — kill weeds with black plastic. The technique is called sheet mulching, and once you lift the plastic, your land will be clear for cultivation.
This is exactly how I created my own vegetable garden and it saved me an incredible amount of time and energy. It’s the main way that I recommend clearing land without using herbicides since it’s suitable for organic gardening and also, pretty easy. The before and after photos below show how I covered the entire area and then gradually peeled the plastic back. Bit by bit I transformed a weedy plot of land into a beautiful and productive veggie patch. You can see more of my garden, and learn about two other types of sheet mulch in the video at the bottom of this piece.
Black plastic sheeting cleared this plot of weeds and grass. It made creating a new vegetable garden easy and eco-friendly.
How to clear land using black plastic
No need to break your back digging weeds out. Just cover the soil with black plastic to kill weeds.
Heavy-Duty Black Polythene is best
After clearing most of my plot using this method, I had just one last weedy corner to tackle. The photos in this piece are from that corner, and to help get it ready for growing, I covered it, and the compost pile beside it, with a layer of heavy-duty black plastic. This is the kind of material that you’ll find used as pond or roof lining and will survive the elements. Thin black plastic, like bin-liners (garbage bags), is not suitable since it easily rips and shreds. Blue tarps and clear or light-colored plastic aren’t great either since some plants will still grow under it.
You can get heavy-duty black plastic (polythene/polypropylene) sheeting in other colors. I’ve seen it in a light blue color before and this is also fine for using to kill weeds and clear land. It can be more of an eyesore than black, but if it’s thick enough, no light will get through it either.
lovelygreens.com
GARDENING· GARDENING TIPS· KITCHEN GARDENING
JUMP TO RECIPE
Black plastic mulch can kill grass and weeds to make space for a vegetable garden. It’s an eco-friendly way to clear land without having to use herbicides.
Once the excitement of starting a new garden wears off, the questions begin. One of the most common is ‘How do I convert a piece of lawn, or overgrown allotment, into a productive garden?’ The best way to begin is to remove any unwanted features and vegetation, especially perennial weeds. If your goal is to grow organically, there’s an easy way for you to do this — kill weeds with black plastic. The technique is called sheet mulching, and once you lift the plastic, your land will be clear for cultivation.
This is exactly how I created my own vegetable garden and it saved me an incredible amount of time and energy. It’s the main way that I recommend clearing land without using herbicides since it’s suitable for organic gardening and also, pretty easy. The before and after photos below show how I covered the entire area and then gradually peeled the plastic back. Bit by bit I transformed a weedy plot of land into a beautiful and productive veggie patch. You can see more of my garden, and learn about two other types of sheet mulch in the video at the bottom of this piece.
Black plastic sheeting cleared this plot of weeds and grass. It made creating a new vegetable garden easy and eco-friendly.
How to clear land using black plastic
- Mow the area or strim it so that the weeds and plants are low to the ground. Remove any visible perennial weeds.
- Apply a 2-3″ layer of organic compost (optional)
- Lay heavy-duty black polythene plastic sheeting flat on the ground and weight or peg it down.
- Pop fine holes in the plastic to allow air and moisture through (optional)
- Leave for 2-3 months in summer or six months in winter
- Lift the plastic, remove slugs, and dig up perennial weeds
- If you’ve not applied organic compost first, you will need to apply a good layer now. Plant directly into the compost and you’ll get a crop that very first year.
No need to break your back digging weeds out. Just cover the soil with black plastic to kill weeds.
Heavy-Duty Black Polythene is best
After clearing most of my plot using this method, I had just one last weedy corner to tackle. The photos in this piece are from that corner, and to help get it ready for growing, I covered it, and the compost pile beside it, with a layer of heavy-duty black plastic. This is the kind of material that you’ll find used as pond or roof lining and will survive the elements. Thin black plastic, like bin-liners (garbage bags), is not suitable since it easily rips and shreds. Blue tarps and clear or light-colored plastic aren’t great either since some plants will still grow under it.
You can get heavy-duty black plastic (polythene/polypropylene) sheeting in other colors. I’ve seen it in a light blue color before and this is also fine for using to kill weeds and clear land. It can be more of an eyesore than black, but if it’s thick enough, no light will get through it either.
How to Use Black Plastic to Kill Weeds and Grass • Lovely Greens
Black plastic mulch can kill grass and weeds to make space for a vegetable garden. It's an eco-friendly way to clear land without having to use herbicides.
lovelygreens.com
