Re: Cardboard

A*

Steve wrote:

>    I'm considering using cardboard for weed suppression in an organic
>vegetable garden (the quackgrass is out of control).  A friend is
>concerned about toxic compounds in the cardboard.  Anyone have any
>knowledge about the safety of using cardboard for weed suppression?

As long as you're using plain cardboard without any colored ink on it, you
should be fine.  Corregated cardboard is suggested as the FAVORITE munchie
of redworms (although I'm pretty sure the regular earthworms in the garden
really like it too) so it is often shredded to give one's worms a treat.
Supposedly, they love the ink.  As vermicompost folks tend to be hyper about
anything that might hurt their worms, I would think that using cardboard in
the garden should be just fine for anything *you* want to eat! :-)

I use plain cardboard all the time in the community garden -- it will keep
your weeds suppressed for about 6 months -- then it's broken down enough for
the earthworms to munch out on it and you have to add another layer.

Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden

A mission of 
St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA  19460

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