Should I use clear or black plastic to cover my raised bed?
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Dad16504397
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The bed is about 5' X 5' and the edges (wood sides) are about 5 to 6 inches above the bed. I'm trying to kill weeds and warm the soil. Black or clear sheet stapled to the top of the wood sides - or .....?
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Hello. I would use black. The clear won't work well for killing weeds. The black will block the sunlight out, and also help bake any bacteria in the soil.
use the black. the clear will just incubate the weeds.
Use newspaper, all the junk mail and free circulars you get in the mail. Paper will not only kill the weeds but also warm up the soil. To keep it down I cut the tops off wire hangers and use as a staple. You can add the plastic if you want a nicer look than paper or mulch.
Use newspaper,cardboard and professional gray heavy landscape fabric
I would put the newspaper, without the shiny adds, down first to help with the weeds, then put the plastic down tight onto the soil. You want to keep the weeds from getting sunlight and having it down tight on the soil will help it not blow off compared to stapling it to the top.
Yes newspaper would be best. Unlike plastic it is biodegradable too.