permaculture

["Kelly Lockamy" <garden_muse@bellsouth.net>]

thank you all for your thoughts on solarization and sheet mulching.  i have
done small scale sheet mulching over the years, including a new herb garden
for my 15 yr. old daughter this spring, which is working wonderfully except
for the blackberry vines and bermuda grass that's starting to poke through.
i really don't want to chance these sorts of relapses in my clients urban
yard, so thought the solarizing technique would be good assurance against
intruders into the groundcover i plan to use instead of turf.  so i thought
i'd incorporate mulch into the ground before spreading the planstic so any
weed seeds in it will be killed as well.  i am planning to do the sandwich
as you suggested, and am also thinking about making the center higher so
that water runs off when it rains and doesn't ruin the "oven" space between
the sheets- what'dya think? our goal is a maintenance free yard with useful
plants.  this is one of my first pc design customers so i want to do it
right!!  i'd hate to have her come to me in 3-6 months with a weed problem!

Toby, i love your book, Gaia's Garden, it's a very important piece of work
for those of us struggling to do it right- keep up the good work!!

thanks again to all who responded,
kelly

----- Original Message -----
From: "Toby Hemenway" <hemenway@jeffnet.org>
To: "permaculture list" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 2:40 PM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] solarization


> > Does anyone know what mil of plastic is best for solarizing to kill turf
and
> > weeds?
>
> The thickness doesn't matter too much, but the best way to do it is to put
> down a layer of black plastic, and then over that, a layer of clear
plastic.
> I've tried it all ways, and this creates a very powerful solar oven that
is
> much more effective than either kind of plastic alone.
>
> Obviously, it's preferable to find used plastic than to buy it new.
>
> But even better is to do it with cardboard/newspaper and a heavy mulch
(8-12
> inches, or topsoil (4-6 inches) on top of it. Then you don't have to use
> plastic, or strip it off, or dispose of it, and it all breaks down into
good
> soil. This is sheet mulching. It's quicker (you can plant into it
> immediately), saves steps, and is more environmentally responsible
(recycles
> wastes, less petroleum). There are many good examples of sheet mulching
all
> over the web, or in my book (ahem!), Gaia's Garden.
>
> Toby
> www.patternliteracy.com
>
>
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