Deliberate AgrarianSnippet #14Securing PermanentPlastic Mulch

27 April 2014

(click to see an enlarged view)

In Snippet #13 I told of how I'm using black plastic mulch in my garden this year. The plastic is resistant to UV degradation and supposed to last 8 to 12 years (more expensive plastic is rated to last 20 years).When I put the plastic around my two rows of raspberry canes I employed two different techniques for securing the edges. Where the plastic meets my lawn, I dug a straight (using a string line), shallow trench to bury the edge, as shown above. For the plastic edge next to the raspberry canes, I didn't want to disturb the roots with a trench, so I used some homemade "staples," as shown below. The wire is 9-gauge. The staple is 8" wide and each leg is 8." I spaced them 24" apart. Now I expect the plastic to stay in place with no problems for the next decade. And I'll have approximately 60% less weeding and cultivating to do around my raspberries.

The screwdriver is pointing at a staple that has been driven into place.