Prevent Weeds With A Clever Repurposing Idea From Martha Stewart

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Home and garden expert Martha Stewart has little tolerance for weeds on her picture-perfect New York farm. When possible, she opts for natural methods of controlling unwanted plants. For example, Stewart uses a DIY weed killer made of three gentle ingredients: white vinegar, lemon juice, and dish soap. She also repurposes her boxwood border's burlap covers as a weed deterrent. When the covers become too worn-out for shielding these evergreens from harsh winter weather, she turns them into a landscaping-fabric base layer for the mulch surrounding her azaleas.

Stewart gave her fans a glimpse of this adventure in sustainability on TikTok, noting how they too can quash weeds with burlap. "We pride ourselves on how we reuse and recycle a lot of materials," she said of the farm in a short video, explaining that burlap lasts three to four years as a boxwood protectant but gets used for longer than that. Once the burlap is no longer sturdy enough to safeguard her beloved evergreen shrubs from frost and wind, Stewart smothers plants she loves a lot less with it. Even when riddled with holes, this tough fabric can deprive weeds of sun that they need to thrive. Plus, burlap made of jute or other natural materials is biodegradable, adding carbon to the ground as it breaks down. If you don't use this kind of burlap as a weed barrier, you can toss it in a backyard compost trench to enrich your soil.

Martha Stewart places fraying burlap beneath organic mulch to create her weed-fighting setup. "Lay down that old, rotten burlap on top of any unwanted weeds or ground cover," she instructs viewers of her TikTok video, adding, "then, cover the burlap with the mulch." Stewart heaps Scotts Nature Scapes mulch on the burlap in her video. This product is made of tree matter such as wood chips and bark. A 3-inch layer of it should help hold the burlap in place while blocking sunlight that might otherwise reach weed seeds. Alternatively, you could cover the burlap with shredded leaves or straw. If you're using a lightweight mulch such as grass clippings, you can prevent the burlap from shifting with landscape staples. Both the burlap and the mulch on top of it help keep the soil underneath moist but not waterlogged, supporting the health of nearby plants.

Consider pulling existing weeds in the area you've targeted, as this discourages them from breaking through the burlap barrier. Also remove stones and dirt clods so the ground beneath the burlap is flat and smooth. Every gap between the burlap and the ground could furnish weed seeds with sunlight. Burlap fends off weeds in other ways, too. Try pairing it with cardboard for lining the bottoms of raised garden beds. You can even use it in place of the cardboard. 

Frost covers for boxwoods aren't your only source of garden-ready burlap. Ask the staff at your local coffee shop if they store beans in large burlap bags. There's a good chance that they do, and that they'd be willing to give you some.