Not Landscape Fabric: Use This Common Household Waste To Say Bye To Weeds

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When you're planting out a new garden bed or rejuvenating an established one with new greenery, the first thing you'll want to do is use a few great strategies for removing the weeds already growing there. Then, instead of reaching for expensive landscape fabric to keep new weeds at bay, take a look at something you may already have headed for the recycling bin: brown packing paper. Rather than tossing it out, you can put that material to work in your garden as an inexpensive weed-suppression barrier.

Brown packing or kraft paper can cover bare soil, helping block sunlight and prevent many weed seeds from germinating. It can also be used to smother small weeds that are already growing. This method, commonly known as sheet mulching, is often used in no-till gardening to kill off existing weeds without disturbing the soil too much and bringing weed seeds to the surface. These days, you can even buy biodegradable landscape paper, like this one from Agegomic. But if you already have clean packing paper that would otherwise become household waste, reusing it gives you a low-cost alternative. Some people even use shredded paper, which can be another option if you have easy access to it.

The first thing you want to do is collect as much used packing paper as you can, then smooth it out and roll it up or fold it neatly until you're ready to use it. Smoothing and folding it beforehand will save you time when you're out in the garden. Before using it, make sure the paper is plain, uncoated, and free of tape, plastic, and glossy finishes. All you need to do then is lay out the paper to cover the ground completely. You'll want to overlap the pieces so that no soil shows at all. It's probably a good idea to do this on a still day, so you're not battling the wind as you try to get the paper down.

The next step is to use something to keep the paper in place so that it doesn't blow all over your yard. There are several ways you can do this. You could, of course, just cover the edges of the paper with some rocks, bricks, or large sticks if you're using this sheet mulching method to kill existing weeds. Alternatively, if you want the paper to act as a semi-permanent barrier, you can just cover it with a good mulch such as wood chips, bark, or even a fairly thick layer of straw. 

You'll find that the paper will break down over time, just like the mulch, and contribute to soil health, as long as it's uncoated and untreated. Finally, if you end up with a surplus, another clever way to repurpose packing paper is to put it into your compost.