Garden plot taken over by weeds

[a.skittle.a.day]

I'm planning on starting my first organic garden this year on a plot that my father has used for a few years, but the whole thing has been inundated by henbit over the winter. I don't want to just till it in come spring because wont it just come back up? I've scanned through some posts about the lasagna method but I think it would be to late in the season for the newspaper to compost down enough before it came time to plant. I would like to be able to till it all up because I will be amending the soil with some aged horse manure and other compost and would like to get everything mixed in. What about doing a controlled burn? What would be the recommended method to kill the henbit off, but still give me enough time to mix in compost?

[!potatoes!]

maybe till in your compost/manure/whatever, and then lasagna it? the idea isn't that newspaper/cardboard breaks down enough to plant in it, it's that you cut a whole and plant through it, its lack of immediate breakdown is the weed-inhibiting factor. sorry I don't have more time right now for more info.

[rainbowgardener]

and/or just add your amendments, plant, and then mulch heavily (once the seeds are well sprouted or around your transplants).

[DoubleDogFarm]

Henbit prefers wet heavy soils and shade. I would suggest lightening the soil and raised beds. Improve drainage. I like the technique of tilling the aisle and shoveling the soil into the beds. Soil it self can be a smothering mulch.


Eric

[a.skittle.a.day]

I like the idea of tilling the aisles and just adding the dirt in rows. That way I could save the compost just for the rows themselves. I was planning on making a couple raised beds farther back for my carrots, but I guess I could just make every row in the main plot a type of mounded up bed.

What can I use to help lighten up the soil? This is the first year I have really gotten my hands on it and it's a lot of red clay, besides the little bit of grass and straw mulch that has been turned under from previous gardens. I guess the henbit itself can be used as a type of organic matter, but could I maybe till in a little bit of leaves and grass along with the compost, or would I just need to wait for the off season so it can have more time to compost in?

[DoubleDogFarm]

I like the idea of tilling the aisles and just adding the dirt in rows. That way I could save the compost just for the rows themselves. I was planning on making a couple raised beds farther back for my carrots, but I guess I could just make every row in the main plot a type of mounded up bed.

Yes, I like it too.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Farmers%20Market%20Produce/DSC03107.jpg[/img]

What can I use to help lighten up the soil? This is the first year I have really gotten my hands on it and it's a lot of red clay, besides the little bit of grass and straw mulch that has been turned under from previous gardens. I guess the Henbit itself can be used as a type of organic matter, but could I maybe till in a little bit of leaves and grass along with the compost, or would I just need to wait for the off season so it can have more time to compost in?

I guess it depends if you want to do it all at once or over time.

*Tilling in compost is the traditional way.
*Lasagna system
*Growing potatoes is a good way of improving the beds. The hilling up and adding compost sets it up for the next crop.
*Growing crops with taproots, opens the soil.
*Cover cropping. Leave the roots to break down and mulch the tops.

Just some ideas. Some others will add to the list.

Eric

[quiltbea]

You can lay 3-4 sheets of wet newspaper down over the plot.
Then cover that with about 3" of compost over the newspaper.
This should be done as soon as you can get out in your garden in the spring well before planting time.

When it comes time to plant, you can plant your seeds or seedlings right in the compost layer. If you have to dig down a bit, the wet newspaper will have deteriorated enough not to give you much trouble. Just make your planting hole down thru it.

This is suggested by Lee Reich in his garden book, "Weedless Gardening" which means you never dig or till down deep which will pull up dormant weed seeds lying below. Just keep the top of your soil free of new weeds that pop up. The newspaper layer will keep the others from sprouting. Add your compost to the top of your soil and only dig it into the top couple of inches of soil. The less disturbance, the less weeds to the top.

I will be layering all my raised beds this spring with layers of wet newspaper before adding my compost. Hopefully the couple feet of snow over then right now will have melted sometime in March.

[applestar]

Hmmm... I have a different take on this one.

I don't consider henbit to be malicious weed. They are fragile and are easily removed, and can be a great green addition to the compost pile when there are still not much green to be had. (You can also eat them -- along with chickweed -- yourself, but they can be a bit hairy)

Also, when the earthworms become active in spring, they absolutely congregate in the roots of henbit — I think this is related to plant roots exuding something that attracts microbes that in turn attracts the earthworms. (See Book Club Forum threads for Teaming with Microbes)

I let the henbit grow until I'm ready to plant, then cut off the tops rather than dig up the roots, and either use the wilted tops for mulch or in the compost pile.

[imafan26]

At least you only have henbit to worry about. I don't have that weed. It is good that it is not as bad a weed to have as some others. I have nut sedge, bindweed, ivy gourd, African tulip, Fukien tea, milkweeds, spurge, California grass. Since I live where there is no real winter, all of these weeds live year round and once they become established they are difficult to kill. Mulching certainly helps, but here it will not get rid of nut sedge, bind weed, ivy gourd, African tulip and Fukien tea. They have deep roots and will grow back. I even used round up on the African Tulip and it is still coming back, and I cannot dig them out, I tried.

[rainbowgardener]

Wow... tough weeds!

Funny to hear about Fukien tea as a weed. I only know it as a prized bonsai tree.



https://www.bonsaimary.com/images/fukien ... import.jpg

Perhaps you can dig them up, pot them and sell them?

[imafan26]

It makes a beautiful bonsai tree, but when it goes to seed it spreads and it will grow in concrete cracks. My neighbor planted the Fukien and she does trim it, but it not before it goes to seed. She also planted the African tulip which is a menace.

[jal_ut]

Hmmmm, been a while since the opener. How about an update?