Wrap Your Parched Yard in a Weed Free Garden Blanket

LEXINGTON, Ky. _ The drought has overstayed its welcome. Rose gardens are wilted. Tomato plants have seen better days. Summer greens have been replaced with parched browns. Although gardens might not be as vibrant as usual, a new, environmentally friendly garden item might help.

The Weed Free Garden Blanket, made by the Lexington, Ky., company EvoOrganic, promises to preserve water and eliminate sprouting weeds.

Here’s how it works: Slow-drip irrigation tubes run throughout the inside of the blanket, much like heating lines are distributed in an electric blanket. The blanket connects to a garden hose. Gardeners spread the blanket, which is 10-{ feet by 12 feet, onto tilled soil, cut small slits in the blanket between the drip tubes, and plant seeds in the ground.

The results, said Rick Baker, the product’s maker: The porous, reusable blanket seals the moisture deeply in the roots (while eliminating water evaporation) and doesn’t allow room for weeds to grow. With the help of organic liquefied fish fertilizer, plants grow faster without excess water.

“It’s a 95 percent weed-free experience and it saves half of the water,” Baker said.

The idea for the product began with frustration. Baker, tired of yanking weeds at his farm in Versailles, Ky., wanted something _ anything _ to make gardening enjoyable again. After filing the patent and getting the OK, Baker was satisfied with his product.

“It’s just a great way to keep all the fun of gardening but to eliminate the one thing we all hate: weeding,” Baker said.

News of the blanket floated overseas. It’s being sold in a 60-store chain in Paris, France, and in Australia, where some regions are “excessively dry” according to the Australian government’s bureau of meteorology.

And in places like Lexington, where the drought seems likely to persist through September, according to the national Climate Prediction Center, this blanket is conservation-friendly and convenient.

Dewey Johnson uses the blanket in the small garden at his Lexington home. Tending his cilantro, lavender and tomato plants used to be “back-breaking,” but life after the blanket has made his garden maintenance easier.

“When I go out there, what I see is the plants and not weeds,” Johnson said. “The built-in watering system is a godsend. It’s like a set-it-and-forget-it kind of deal.”

Laura Schrader hasn’t used her blanket yet but is anxious to see its affect on her perennial flower garden. She said she makes bouquets for herself and others and can’t wait to see the results.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Schrader, who said she doesn’t like to spray chemicals on her plants. “No one likes to pull weeds.”

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(c) 2007, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).

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