Weedblock in garden

I just put together a 10'x10' garden that was home to grass and to a pear tree. The pear tree is still there, but I scraped off the grass, and planted a raspberry bush, a dwarf blackberry bush and a blueberry bush, as well as placing a strawberry pot on the surface. After removing the grass I laid down some felt weedblock and medium nugget tree bark. I cleared this area out once before but the grass kept coming back and I wanted it to be maintained better this time.

My question is about the weedblock. I assume the water won't effectively penetrate the weedblock, so will the berry bushes I planted get enough water? I'm not worried about the tree because it is in an exposed corner , so it's roots should extend far enough into the yard to get plenty of water. Thoughts?

 

I use plastic under rock around the house in order to divert water but landscape fabric away from the house since it lets water through. Not sure what the weedblock you used actually is but if it does not allow water through, you simply cut a decent size hole in it around the plants to create an area where water can penetrate to the roots.

 

I'm not fond of using plastic under mulch as heavy rains can 'float' the mulch away

I generally just use newsprint under my mulch and replace it when I get ready for new mulch. Not sure you can get a weed free garden

 

Ha, if only.

I'm not sure if it is water permeable at or or not. I assumed not, as that was worst case scenario. However I'll test it later to see. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing something damaging.

Thanks

 

Using weed block or not just by virtue that dirt and soil will accumulate on the surface will allow weeds to grow. Once your fruit plants take good hold an occasional and light application of grass and vegetation killer will reduce and eliminate surface weed growth. But only use it sparingly. I've used this method many time without harm to deep rooted trees or well established bushes. However, with a food type item you may not want to do it.

 

I'd bet your going to regret using that "weed block".
Your going to find that weeds are going to grow right through it and make it far harder to pull them out.
"Scraped off the grass" has me wondering exactly what you did there.
Sod should have been dug out compleatly to get rid of the weeds and grass roots and all.

 

Probably.
Also, probably.
I took a shovel, jammed it into the ground, and ripped the sod off, to a depth of about two inches.

 

Is that 2" including sod or 2" beneath the sod? Do you know if you removed most of the roots?
I have poor soil and for the most part my grass roots don't go deep but when I lived in fla the roots were a lot deeper than 2"

 

Thanks for all the advice.

 

I have used weedblock in my garden for years and have never regretted it. It is a black, water permeable product that helps warm the soil in early spring. After the garden is planted I add a couple of inches of salt marsh hay. Any weeds that grow atop the weedblock are shallow rooted and easily removed. Before using the weed block fabric I spent so much time weeding in the garden it just wasn't any fun.

IMO there is never a need to use a chemical weed killer in a home garden. Weeds can be either pulled or chopped.

Mark - My parents had a large garden. My mother canned most of the veggies we ate. They used fish heads for fertilizer and newspaper for mulch.