Laying the Weed Fabric
Manually Laying Weed Fabric
The first year of the farm we knew that one of the best ways to control weeds is to put weed fabric down.
So building a 5" bed, putting in the drip line and then laying fabric and pinning the edges. 130' long took 8 to 10 hours to complete.
Laying Fabric with the Tractor
In keeping with the "Work Smarter Not Harder" policy, we decided there needed to be a smarter way to lay fabric.
We purchased a Mini Layer, which can build a 5" bed, lay in 2 drip lines, put down the fabric, pinch the edges and then put dirt over the edges of the fabric.
So now we can lay 190 foot bed in around 20 to 60 seconds.
Punching Holes in the Fabric
We use a biodegradable fabric, which allows us to just pull the drip tape in the fall and rotor till the fabric into the soil.
We also use a Dipler, which can put 1200 holes in the fabric very quickly. Makes it easy when we are planting plugs in the spring.