Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to lay out the garden mats?

We till our soil well before we lay out the garden mats. Once that is done we start at one end. We use Garden Mats staples and pin the mats down in each corner. We then unroll the mat all the way to the other end and pin the far two corners down using two more Garden Mats staples. We then place a staple on each side every three feet. So, for a 6 foot mat you will need six staples, two in each corner and two in the middle on each side. For a 12 foot mat you will need 10 staples. For an 18 foot mat you will need 14 staples.

Should I bury the edges of the Garden Mats in the soil to keep it from blowing away in the wind?

If you bury the edges in soil it will promote weed growth, especially with tenacious weeds like witch grass. We recommend that you just lay your garden mats on top of well-tilled soil and pin them down in the corners and every 3' or 4' with our Garden Mats staples. You can also just use old coat hangers, cut and bent, but they won't last as long as our 8" staples made from 9 gauge galvanized steel. If you have strong winds you will not want to use a smaller staple. We have seen our mats blow away with a standard 4" staple, and they don't last. We found that they rust out in one year. Trust us, we wouldn't sell our Garden Mats staples if they didn't work.

At the end of the season, how do I store my Garden Mats?

Once the growing season is over, simply cut the stems of the plants that remain. Pull up the staples and shake your garden mats so they are free of dirt. If you want you can hose them down, but this is usually not necessary. Once the mat is free of dirt roll it up. Do not fold it since this will affect the weave. Once the mat is rolled up, either store it standing up or laying down.

My garden mat got damaged and is beginning to fray around the holes and on the edges. Is there any way I can fix this problem so it will last longer?

Yes! If you notice that the garden mat is beginning to fray, either around a hole or on an edge, this is easy to correct. We use a heat gun or soldering iron. Simply hold the heat gun near the frayed edge or touch the frayed edge with a soldering iron and slowly melt the material. The material melts quickly so do not hold the heat gun or soldering iron in one place for too long. Even though your repair may not look pretty, it should fix the problem so your mat will last. If you have a severe problem send us an email and we'll try to assist you.

What do you recommend for weed control between rows?

We overlap our mats 1" just as you see it in the pictures, so is no in-between row weed control worry. No additional mat is needed. We walk where the mats overlap. And it actually creates a shallow “trench” for excess water to wick away from your plants so they never get soaked.