I've done the cole crops so far. Romaine lettuce, radishes, onions, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and kenebec potatoes.
The rest will go in this week. Squash, Corn, okra, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, cukes, cantaloupe.
If you have never tried an Ambrosia cantaloupe, then do yourself a favor and raise some. Nothing compares to their soft, sweet flesh. Every other cantaloupe is just a cantaloupe flavored melon next to them. They are a hybrid though, so you cant save the seeds. I order my seeds from Parks.
After 3 years of black plastic gardening for at least half my crops I have learned:
Tomatoes, peppers, and okra do very well with this method.
True vine crops like watermelon, cantaloupe, and cucumbers absolutely excel on the plastic. No weeds!
Squash, beans, and corn really struggle in this method. They can't really take the heat rolling off of it I guess.
Black plastic planting method:
1) till area to be covered, then cover with black plastic. Weight down edges with cinder blocks.
2) Cut 4 - 6 inch holes in the plastic at desired spacing. 2 - 3 feet apart for peppers okra, and tomatoes. 4 - 5 feet apart for vine crops.
3) Plant the live plants, scratch holes out for seed plantings and plant your seeds, then water.
4) IMPORTANT; place additional weights around plants and seed holes to prevent plastic from puffing up in the wind and covering and scorching your seedlings. T-Posts work great for this.
If you bite the bullet and get 6 mil plastic then you can use it multiple years. This will be the 3rd year I have used the same plastic, and your holes are already cut for you. You'll also find that you have to water very little with this method other than the initial watering. The plastic holds moisture in the ground. The top 1 inch of soil underneath may be dry, but everything underneath will be moist, and when it rains the water funnels down your planting holes so a brief shower can give you a good watering.
