[Redbaron]

Update on the burlap:

While it worked for a while, eventually the burlap has allowed too many weeds to poke through. So I would say it is not an effective weed barrier.

My solution? I mulched again with grass clippings. Hopefully that will delay the weeds enough to allow the broccoli to get a large enough head start. Won't be long before the broad leaves shade out the weeds enough on their own.

So I would say at minimum this shows burlap could be used by a small grower or a home gardener, but unlikely to be effective enough of a weed barrier for a larger commercial grower. At least not effective enough when going over virgin sod. It might be enough when going over previously tilled or plowed land. I might test that out in future years.