Is Weed Paper Safe for a Vegetable Garden?

Benefits

• Weed paper or fabric is a sheet of material stretched over a garden area. Plants grow through holes cut into the material. The material blocks sunlight from reaching the weeds beneath, killing them and preventing them from growing. Gardeners who put down weed paper eliminate the need to weed around vegetable plants as often and may prevent crop loss.

Considerations

• Weed paper often looks unappealing and requires a layer of mulch over it to improve its aesthetic appeal. Once mulch is applied it begins to decompose, creating an ideal growing medium for weeds. Weeds that grow in the mulch over weed paper can kill plants in a vegetable garden.

Varieties

• Although plastic weed papers are durable, they may leach potentially dangerous chemicals into the garden. Weed fabrics may alter the soil of the garden and require removal after the growing season. Biodegradable and organic weed papers will not add chemicals to the soil and disintegrate after the growing season.