It's the time of year when I start looking back and reflecting on what I did right and what I did wrong in this year's vegetable garden. With the hot days of summer on us, our vegetable garden is beginning to wind down.
From the look of things, it appears that we did a lot right this year. Not only these tomatoes but almost everything that we planted produced an abundance of delicious vegetables.
I'm convinced that what you see here has made all the difference. It's a commercial grade landscape fabric. With this, we've won the battle of weeds this year. It's rather expensive, but in my opinion, well worth the investment. This particular type of landscape fabric is over $80 for a 6 foot x 300 foot roll. The big box stores sell a thinner fabric that just doesn't work as well. I buy this at a local farm supply store. Our garden is rather large, so I used 3 of these rolls.
After rolling out the landscape fabric, I used these ground staples to secure it in place. I overlapped each row about 6-8 inches. Using scissors, we cut an opening in the fabric, dug a hole, added some compost, and planted our vegetables. You learn more in my post how to grow your own tomatoes.
I prefer to use wheat straw for mulch. It's an attractive cover over the landscape fabric and the drip lines.
The vining plants such as watermelon, honeydews, and canteloupe seem to love the fabric and straw.
And we've had no trouble with rotting fruit because it's not sitting on damp soil.
This is the first year that we haven't lost our squash and zucchini plants to powdery mildew. It has to be because the landscape fabric keeps the vegetables from coming in contact with the soil.
It's a pleasure picking the tomatoes with not a weed in sight!
The landscape fabric and planting more plants to attract the pollinators definitely increased the production this year.
And makes a stroll through the garden more pleasurable, too. No weeds here under these flowers because we put landscape fabric here, too!
Doesn't this look a lot better than a patch of weeds?
NVSC Diane
Love your pics (and the lovely cat), and thanks for the advice on the landscape fabric and straw. Am trying to get a garden going in my backyard, overwhelmed by the weeds that have been allowed to proliferate and this will help a lot - not to mention giving me a little extra motivation with the thought of less work next year!! BTW everyone up here in the shag club loves your music - keep up the great work 🙂
PS For your husband's "bored w/okra syndrome," I take okra and cut into small pieces, fry up/brown up with onions and without batter or flour in a bit of olive oil (I used to dip them in egg/flour a la the Southern Tradition, but maybe you cut a few calories here), add parmesan and a couple of scrambled eggs for a sort of Southern Frittata brunch thing...
Babs
Leo and Jane, Wow! Your garden looks amazing. Great idea for the landscaping fabric. What will you do with all the tomatoes? Can or freeze?
Laura / Pet Scribbles
I'm sharing this with my husband, as we haven't used landscape fabric in our vegetable garden but definitely should! Seeing your results and reading the benefits (not veggies sitting in damp earth) has me convinced! Thanks for the advice!
Joani
It looks awesome. All the tomatoes. WOW. Thanks for sharing.
Jean Windham
I can see the benefit of using the better grade landscape fabric. You and Jane have a beautiful garden and have a lot of vegetables to show for it. i can remember hoeing the garden as a little girl for my parents garden. We all worked really hard to keep the weeds under control. The garden is pretty and produces. Jean
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Wow...so many great looking tomatoes. We've planted our first garden in 20 years and we're still waiting for the ripening stage. Thanks so much for the great tip. It seems like I do nothing else but pick weeds all the time.
K.
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles
Your garden looks amazing. Thanks for the info on a better grade of landscape fabric- I'll have to keep that in mind.
debbiedoos
You and Leo certainly do a lot more right than wrong, that's for sure. LOOKS amazing out there Jane.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon
Oh my, the tomatoes. Looks like you found the answer.
Madonna
Denise
Wow! I am so impressed! Gosh, I remember all the hoeing and weeding we had to do as kids in my parent's garden, wasn't looking forward to that when hubby retires~~now I know what to do to avoid that! Thank you so much!
Ann
Hi Leo! As always I am so impressed with your knowledge and love of gardening. Would this be something to use on an existing perennial garden? It might be hard to work around already established plants. Would love to try though. Thank you!
Mary
Your garden is beautiful and productive Jane & Leo! What a bumper crop of tomatoes too!
Sharon
so, so beautiful! and a sight for sore eyes... I didn't get to garden this year and I'm really missing all the blooms.
Helen
Jane and Leo, y'all never cease to amaze me with your garden and neat ideas. Thanks for the info on the garden fabric!
Dolly Sarrio
Looking good! I love that stuff too! Saves a lot of backaches.
Pat @ LifeAtLydiasHouse
Your garden is absolutely beautiful!! Y'all are real pros at this garden business! Just curious, do you have bees too? I have read that a bee hive increases production tremendously and wondered if you have one.
Yvonne @ StoneGable
What a fabulous tip! I'm bookmarking this for next spring! You are going to be busy canning and freezing!!!! What a fabulous garden you have!!!
Just a question, do you put new garden fabric down every year?
Leo Windham
Yvonne, that depends on what kind of shape it's in when I pull it up at the end of this growing season. I would like to reuse it if I can, but I'm not sure if the planting holes will be in the right places. It may just be easier to start over again next year with new fabric.
Barbara (WA)
I have learned a lot from your posts about your garden, thank you.
Donna Thompson
Your garden is beautiful! What time is din/din? XXOO
Dawn
OMG you sure did get a lot of produce this year. What are you going to do with all those tomatoes? I use straw for weed control but nothing between the rows. Yours looks fabulous.
Pam @diy Design Fanatic
Awesome! You and Leo have a fabulous garden.
Barbara F.
LOVE your fabulous garden, Leo and Jane. Your flowers and veggies are so beautiful.