Weed Block

[RIraisedbeds]

Good Morning,
This is actually RIGal from 2 years ago, but I changed my username after an email switch.
I was away from my garden most of last summer due to back problems, so I did not have a successful year. However, my raised beds are tilled and 7 years worth of awesome composted material has been added, and I'm ready to go.
Thinking about all the weeds that popped up last year and me not being able to get to all of them, my husband has suggested used the black cloth weed block.
I've never used this before when planting. Only in areas where mulch was to be spread.
My questions are, and don't mind my naiveity, when I plant my green bean and yellow bean seeds, and make a slit in the cloth, will those sprouts actually come through, or will I definitely have trouble.
Also, I am more accustomed to 'working the soil' with my hands when planting seedlings, and can't imagine how I'll do this effectively.
Can someone give me some suggestions please. I'm planning zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant.
Thanks bushels!

[nofeargardener]

Hi! I'm so sorry to hear about the trouble with your back. Not fun I imagine.

Regarding the weed block cloth.... I've never been a fan of it for the very reason you mentioned. I had it all around my house in the flower beds (from the previous owners). I found it difficult to work with - especially since I enjoy tweaking things from time to time. I ripped it all out. I've been using straight mulch ever since. Never had a weed problem.

I was thinking... would it be possible to use some sort of natural mulch to help keep your weeds down? One thing I've found that helps is using our grass clippings as mulch (as long as it hasn't gone to seed). Laying down a nice think layer in between the veggies in your raised beds can help significantly with weeds. It can also ad some natural nitrogen to your soil. Or... perhaps some dried leaf mulch.

The other thing I thought of was possibly raising up your raised beds. But that's a BIG project with some cost involved. You'd basically have to start from scratch and build them. But a waist-high raised bed could be a great option for the long run - - no bending, which makes weeding a much easier task. Hope this helps. And I hope your back is on the mend soon.

[SCyardman]

I'm no fan of weed barrier fabrics. I have found they cause more problems than solutions. Preen, a commonly found pre-emergence that is easy to use, is what I like. Obviously you can't apply the pre-emergence until after the vegatables have germinated. For the rows in between the plantings, you might try newspapers with a light coat of mulch on top. That is a good weed barrier, that doesn't cause much future problems.

[Cody Wellard]

I used a very heavy weed cloth in my garden. I have a section of raised beds, we covered the ground between them with the cloth and then put on a 4 inch layer of sawdust. Every year we bring in a load of sawdust to keep a thick layer ontop of the cloth. It has worked great so far!:o

[jaywest09]

A weed puller tool (http://hubpages.com/hub/FISKARS-WEED-PULLER-TOOL-UK-REVIEW) is a clever equipment that lets you simply remove weeds without having to crouch or fight with weeds. A good weed puller is definitely a must have if you have back problems.