Subject: Re: Plastic Mulch - should we use it??

From: [email-masked] (Joel Clark)
Date: 20 Mar 1995 16:51:51 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Beth Nixon) writes:
>Hi!   I'm hoping someone out here can tell me a little bit about plastic mulch
>and whether it is worthwhile or not.  We have a small patch of strawberries,
>and raspberries (by commercial standards -  large by garden standards!!) and
>may look at growing some melons or other things as well.  
>Is plastic mulch effective at keeping the weeds down??  Is it worth the money??
>How has is it to put down and get the plants still poking through??  Are there
>any other significant benefits in the way of keeping the soil warmer - or does
>this just dry the soil out more and increase the need for irrigation??
>
>Beth Nixon                        [email-masked]
>Penobsquis, NB
>Canada

We use plastic mulch for our melon patch and find it a great help.  Actually
we have been using a degradable fiber black film.  It keeps the weeds down,
warms the ground, and keeps in moisture so less watering is needed.  
"Growing for Market" just did a several page article on plastic mulches.

We apply it by raking up raised beds, laying the mulch over it and burying 
or weighting down the edges.  Then we cut a 3" by 3" hole to plant the
melon starts and lay out the drip irrigation.  Floating row cover also
is a great help for the first month or two.  Side by side comparison with
melons planted without plastic mulch or floating row cover indicate the
covered melons grow about twice as fast in the first two months.  

joel clark