KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Karen Moninger took a more natural approach to weed control in her organic garden this season by laying a "carpet" of burlap bags between the planting rows. The bags, which were originally used to ship coffee beans, inhibit weeds, reduce the need for watering and provide a unique walkway between rows.

"Weeds are always an issue in a garden, but you learn from your mistakes," she says. The previous year, Karen, along with her husband, James, had tried plastic sheeting. "They didn't absorb water, they were slippery to walk on, would fill with mud, pool with water, and at the end of the season we had all of this plastic. What do you do with that?"

The goal of greener weed control led them to experiment with burlap. Burlap is a woven cloth usually made from jute or hemp, making the bags completely biodegradable.

Simply mix garden debris with some leaves, then cover with the burlap. By spring, the composted pile is ready for the new planting season.

"Anything we can do to make things quicker and easier while remaining environmentally conscious is a priority," says Moninger, who spends more than 10 hours a week tending to her downtown neighborhood's garden plot.

The burlap bags are folded to create four layers, which are then overlapped down the rows. The bags typically avert weeds the whole season.

What's more, the bags were acquired at no cost through a grocery store.