Creating a garden in tough soil can be challenging, and one homeowner is getting a crash course in what not to do.
In a post shared to the r/gardening subreddit, the original poster shared their struggles with starting a vegetable garden in extremely dense clay soil — “and I mean clay!” they wrote.
Their question? Whether to use landscaping fabric to prevent weeds in the new beds.
“I’ve heard good things and bad things about using gardening fabric,” they wrote. “I don’t know who is correct.”
The OP explained they had already tried tilling with a smaller and larger machine — both failed. Now they are stuck debating fabric, while prepping to bring in compost and topsoil.
Though landscaping fabric might seem like a fix-all, many seasoned gardeners say it just leads to more problems down the line.
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That’s because fabric doesn’t stop weed seeds that blow in or drop from above, and worse, it can prevent water and oxygen from reaching the soil, stunting your plants’ growth.
“I can’t recommend landscape fabric unless you plan to move soon and don’t like the people who will be moving in,” one Redditor explained. “Once the weeds grow through it, it just makes things worse. When you get frustrated and try to remove it years later, it breaks up and is hard to remove.”
For anyone facing a similar clay crisis, skipping the fabric and layering compost and native mulch might be the better move. Low-maintenance ground cover like clover and buffalo grass can work in clay-heavy zones, and they also save time, water, and money — all while creating a pollinator-friendly ecosystem that supports the human food supply.
Redditors were quick to chime in with helpful suggestions. “You may need to add lime to help break down the clay structure a bit,” a commenter said.
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“The only real way to stop the grass is to line the garden with metal edging all the way into the soil,” another added. “The fabric may also stunt root growth.”
A third joined in and said, “I mixed my heavy clay about 50/50 with compost and filled my raised beds with it. I couldn’t ask for better soil and it is far better than any raised bed mix I have purchased, and it cost a whole lot less too.”
Gardening isn’t always easy, but with the right tools (and some neighborly advice), even clay can become a canvas for something beautiful.
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