Hey everyone! I'm new here and could really use some advice. I live in zone 6a, and my garden area has super heavy clay soil. Honestly, it's the kind of clay you could shape on a potter's wheel! I'm in the process of removing the grass to start my vegetable garden and was thinking about using gardening fabric to keep the weeds and grass from coming back. I've also got a bunch of compost and topsoil to help the plants grow. However, I've heard mixed opinions about using the fabric. I tried tilling the ground, but the clay is just too tough for my tiller. I even bought a stronger one and it still didn't get anywhere. So, is using landscaping fabric a smart move or should I consider other options? Thanks for your help!
1 Answer
I totally feel you on the clay situation! From my experience, fabric won't do much to prevent grass from coming through; it’ll just punch right through it. If you really want to stop the grass, you might need to add metal edging to your garden bed. Honestly, you're going to have to dig out a lot of that clay—like, at least 12 inches deep. Tilling just doesn't cut it; you’ll need to shovel it out. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but that's what I've found works best with stubborn clay. Gardening with clay can be pretty tough, so be prepared!
Thanks for the heads up! I was hoping the fabric would help a bit. Shoveling a foot of clay sounds intense! Maybe I should look into raised bed gardening instead.