kelbean asked:


It is taking over my whole landscape - I have ivy around my house and the Virginia creeper is growing right on top. I also heard that you can get a rash from it and I already had a terrible time with poison ivy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

CARLO

Corinne asked:


The basic question: I don’t know what to use for mulch/weed prevention in my veggie garden. Any suggestion?
The Details: I live in Maryland, Eastern Shore (45 mins to the ocean by car) Zone 7. The soil is very sandy and used to be a wheat field for many years before our house was built 4 years ago. We have horses and use a compost pile to mix in the garden. Our garden this year will be much bigger then any before because I’m planning on home canning allot of it. It will be at least 50×90 not counting the 40 tomato plants. I’m looking for something to use as mulch/weed prevention in the garden between rows and under the plants. I do plan on watering with soaker hoses and no overhead sprinklers to keep down the diseases and problems as much as possible.
The Kicker: We don’t have much money to spend + we have a cat, dogs, children and those stupid voles/moles that dig tunnels throughout the yard and tons of grubs for the voles to eat. The sandy soil splashes up on the plants whenever it
gets wet and will move with any water flow. Soil gets hot and drys out quick and will crust over.
The Upside: We have good drainage and plants grow really well, weather permitting.

I thought about straw, wood chips or similar but found out that’s the perfect breeding ground for the voles.
I was considering 7-10 layers of newspaper but don’t know if it would work and if need to be covered with something.
The good black weed cloth is too expensive for such a large space and the cheaper stuff doesn’t last at all.

I want something to keep the weeds down, the soil in place and off the plants, and not blow, wash or drag away.
Any thoughts on something’s that might work?

Thanks in advance for your time and any help you can provide!

GARTH