Black Weed barier: Round Two
After the weeds claimed victory in year one, I spent the winter developing what I believed was brilliant plan.
Black weed barrier.
Cover the garden. cut the holes for the plants. Starve the weeds of sunlight. Enjoy a season of easy gardening.
Simple.
We laid the barrier and carefully cut openings for each tomato plant'
Forty tomato plants.
At the time, forty holes didn't seem like a problem.
The weeds disagreed.
Apparently, every hole I cut for a tomato plant looked to a weed like a personal invitation.
Bermuda grass.
The tomatoes weren't the only things emerging from those openings. Weeds quickly discovered the gaps and began appearing exactly where I least wanted them. if I stayed on top of them, I could pull them. If I missed even a few, they settled in, grew larger, and wrapped their toots around the tomato roots like unwelcome house guests refusing to leave.
And then there was my greatest enemy.
I'm convinced Bermuda grass could tunnel under a highway, cross a county line, and emerge in the middle of a flower pot it it thought there was sunlight to the other side.
The weed barrier definitely helped, There were fewer weeds the year before.
Unfortunately, the weeds that remained seemed particularly motivated.
It was as though they took my efforts personally.
Every time i pulled one, another appeared.
Every time I thought I was getting ahead, Bermuda grass would pop up in a new location as if to remind me who was really running the operation.
The weed barrier had reduced the enemy's numbers.
It had not affected their attitude.
Still, progress is progress.
There are fewer weeds.
I simply hadn't realized that fewer weeds could still feel like a lot of weeds.
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