Curious about how to get their home vegetable garden started, one home gardener asked the r/vegetablegardening Reddit forum for advice.
“For those who have raised beds with a row of mulch/wood chips in between- what do you put over the grass and under the mulch?” the original poster asked. “Black plastic or landscape fabric?”
Commenters were quick to dismiss both options, explaining why they are both detrimental to gardens.
“They are both horrible,” one commenter said.
“The previous owners of our house put down plastic and were still digging it up years later,” one user explained.
Landscaping fabric, a woven piece of cloth made from synthetic fibers, is used to suppress weed growth. However, many homeowners are strongly opposed to this weed suppression material because it deteriorates over time and requires frequent replacement, which can be costly in the long term.
One homeowner had this to say about landscape fabric in the r/landscaping subreddit: “There is only one guarantee with landscape fabric, and that is, in a few years time you’ll be cursing yourself for using it.”
Black plastic sheeting is also an inexpensive method to control weeds. However, plastic sheeting — like all plastics — degrades in the sun and breaks down into tiny pieces of microplastics that are almost impossible to remove from the soil.
Microplastics in the soil can contaminate the water supply through water runoff and a few other pathways. These plastic particles are harmful to human health and have been linked to higher incidence of stroke, heart attack, hormonal disruption, disability, and other health conditions.
Alternative weed-suppression methods for a healthy garden and lawn, commenters suggest, include cardboard, black and white newspapers, wood chips, and mulch. Essentially, use organic materials that will break down and contribute to the soil — or at the very least, do not harm the soil — as this is the medium your food will grow in.
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Homeowners whose lawns are highly susceptible to weed growth might find ground cover plants, such as clover, an effective weed-control method. Clover is a slow and low-growing turf cover that is relatively drought-resistant, which saves homeowners time and money on lawn maintenance and water bills.
Buffalo grass is also an excellent lawn replacement option that yields similar benefits and most closely resembles traditional turf.
Planting more native plants in your lawn can also help suppress weed growth while creating healthier ecosystems for pollinators to thrive, who ultimately help protect the human food supply.
When creating a home garden, steer away from materials that diminish the health of your soil.
“I would use cardboard and woodchips,” one commenter suggested.
Some commenters were more strict about weed-suppression materials: “Never cardboard, plastic or landscape fabric,” one commenter warned.
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