How to Garden With Landscape Fabric
- 1). Rake the garden bed with a garden rake to smooth the soil, removing twigs and rocks as you go to prevent puncturing the fabric. Dig planting holes with a spade where you intend to place plants, removing the soil to a wheelbarrow.
- 2). Unroll the landscape fabric and cut it to the length of the garden bed. Scissors work well for this. Lay the landscape fabric in place across the bed lengthwise. Use as many lengths of fabric as needed to cover the full width of the garden bed, overlapping the edges by 2 inches. Trim the edges of the fabric using scissors so the shape of the fabric conforms to the shape of the garden bed.
- 3). Cut slits perpendicular to the length of the fabric to accommodate existing plantings. Slide the fabric in place so the stem of the plant rests between the 2 sides of the slit, gathering the edges of the slit back together once in place. Cut a section of fabric 2 inches wide and long enough to cover the slit, and lay it in place.
- 4). Place landscape staples prongs down through the fabric so the staples run parallel to the edge of the fabric. Push staples into the ground to secure fabric in place. Place staples every 12 inches along the edge of the fabric and along any seams where two pieces of landscape fabric meet. Place staples through any patch pieces over slits so the prongs of the staple go through both the patch piece and the underlying fabric.
- 5). Cut an "X" in the fabric large enough to accommodate the root ball of plants, centered over each planting hole. Peel back the loose pieces of fabric around the "X," place the plant in the prepared hole, and backfill with soil from the wheelbarrow. Tuck the edges of the fabric back in place around the stem of the plant. Repeat for remaining plants.
- 6). Spread a 3-inch layer of mulch on top of the fabric. Extend the mulch 1 inch beyond the edges of fabric to keep the fabric hidden from view. Water plants as usual.