Fenced off the garden but that doesn't keep weeds out!

[MrPumpkin]

I am curious what you folks do to keep the interior perimeter of your gardens clean and free of weeds, poison ivy, grass, etc??

Being in central Minnesota, I would venture to say that its a nice growing season but the weeds do want to take over the garden by the 1st week in June!

I am interested in ecologically safe and friendly ways to keep the garden free of infiltrating flora that isn't welcome?

[rainbowgardener]

[img]https://www.sustainable-gardening.com/images/hoe300.jpg[/img]



But mulching heavily helps cut down the work. If there's an area next to the fence that is path not garden, put down cardboard to help suppress the grass/ weeds. Water the cardboard and step on it, so that it is flat to the ground and stuff can't grow under it.

[MrPumpkin]

I realized after posting that request of mine that someone would suggest hoeing/weeding. lol and its a legitimate comment, however with 6 damaged vertebrae, its almost impossible for me to keep up with the weeds.

I will set forth using the mulch and cardboard, great suggestions and hints, very much appreciated!

[Charlie MV]

We buy brown construction paper. It's used to protect floors diuring construction. It comes in a 28" x 140' roll for about 8 bucks at Lowes or Home Depot. We roll the paper out between the plant rows and then cover in about 3 inches in compost. We've been doing it for 3 years. We still get weeds but they are noticeably fewer each year.

We also ran a 5 foot strip of clear plastic around the entire garden perimeter and let it solarize all vegetation for a few months starting back in March. We have cut back the width to 30 inches and are planting a flower border around the entire garden. The flowers attract bees and the marigolds help with pests. It will take a year or so for us to afford to complete the flower border.

This fall, I will cover the remaining plastic perimeter with mulch. I've driven treated stakes at corners and a few strategic spots to guide the hose for watering. We have about 2/3 acre planted. I can water the main garden with one move of the tower sprinkler. It takes 3 sprinkler moves to do the outlying smaller beds.

Back to the initial question. I don't know if this paper and mulch combo will eliminate weeds totally but we've cut them down so much that we don't bother with weeding now.

[farmerlon]

On the Hoe topic {and not trying to be funny here } ... try a stirrup hoe to help you keep ahead of the weeds in areas where mulching may not be practical.
That type of hoe works with a "back-and-forth slicing" action that most people find to be much easier [dare I say, even enjoyable] than the traditional back-breaking "chopping" type of hoe.

[SOB]

While on the topic of stirrup hoes...how well do they work in clay soils that crust up and dry out on top? I have a "normal" hoe and sometimes it's all I can do to get through the top layer of soil and down underneath the weeds. I can't see how you could get enough force behind a stirrup hoe when just pushing or pulling it.

I ask because I was looking to buy one at one point.

[applestar]

So far, with my little 3.x in wide stirrup hoe, I'm finding that dried up clay soil is hard to deal with, but it's like using a cheese planer or veg peeler when used while the clay is moist. I keep a sharpening stone on hand when using these extra sharp tools. I want a 5 in one now (7 in might be too big for my little garden).

I'm also thinking I'd like a short handled one, but might opt for a circle hoe. I do have a Japanese offset hoe that is really great.
-- the thing is all of these are designed to be used at a certain angle on weeds that are away from you.

I'm needing another kind that would work on ground right near me when I DON'T want to uproot them -- I think collinear hoe is designed to be used upright (I.e. immediately beneath where you are standing)

[cynthia_h]

I think the stirrup hoe is also called a "scuffle hoe"? At least, that's what I use when the foxtail under the roses gets ahead of me. I can't kneel, squat, or use several other "normal" weeding positions, so the scuffle hoe is a real help in getting the foxtail down to dirt.

There are also stand-on-it weeders, like [url=https://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=65P01.01&EID=W6061011&SID=W6061011&utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CPDBgq3ambACFQgJRQodsTFgWw]this one[/url].

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[farmerlon]

While on the topic of stirrup hoes...how well do they work in clay soils that crust up and dry out on top? I have a "normal" hoe and sometimes it's all I can do to get through the top layer of soil and down underneath the weeds. I can't see how you could get enough force behind a stirrup hoe when just pushing or pulling it.

I ask because I was looking to buy one at one point.

My garden is sited on a "heavy red clay" soil, and the stirrup hoe works very well for me.
Now, that being said, I strive to keep the soil from crusting by applying good compost and by also keeping the soil mulched when possible. I still run into spots that get hard-packed though, and I find that a good sharp stirrup hoe will still "cut through" with relative ease.

[SOB]

Being the first year in a new garden it's going to take me a while to get the soil loosened up. I plan on adding manure, compost, etc every year so it will slowly get better.

I tried some weeding using my basic hoe last night and the ground is so dry it's all I could do to get the hoe into the ground. The blade is sharp and I am a pretty large guy but the ground is like concrete. I need to water again today after work so I'm going to wait and weed it when the ground is moist.

[Nancydobs]

I rake up pine needles from the woods by my house. They are EASY to move with a pitchfork to/from the wheelbarrow into the garden. I bunch them up against the bottom of the fence (inside garden) nice and thick, maybe 6 to 8 inches. The needles don't seem to pack down and disappear from year to year like other mulches, and they don't move in wind or rain. If you're desperate and don't care about aesthetics you could also try old roofing shingles (pebbly side up). Try to find something free!

[albucsfan]

I'm no expert, but no one likes weeding when it's 100 degrees out so in between plants & rows I put thick (6 or sheets of newspaper covered with 3 or 4 inches of last years leaves... Cardboard around the borders covered with more leaves & add grass clippings & such all season.... Cause it's too stinking HOT to want to be pulling weeds Some weeds ( nutsedge) will still get through but not nearly as many & are easier to pull. Leaves seem to work better than grass clippings as a base tho... Not sure why....

[applestar]

I'm also thinking I'd like a short handled one, but might opt for a circle hoe. I do have a Japanese offset hoe that is really great.
-- the thing is all of these are designed to be used at a certain angle on weeds that are away from you.

I'm needing another kind that would work on ground right near me when I DON'T want to uproot them -- I think collinear hoe is designed to be used upright (I.e. immediately beneath where you are standing)

I said that a few post ago above. Well, I was looking for such a tool at a local garden center and wandered into a pet section (I didn't even know they had one) and my eyes lit upon a tool -- a sturdy flat metal loop, jagged on one edge, smooth on the other with a short handle. it was $7 so I bought it.

I took it on a test drive yesterday and today and it works GREAT!
The flat loop allows you to reach between plants without hurting them and even "lasso" weeds growing close to your plants, jagged edge can be used to pull/tear off weeds at ground level. The flat edge, though not sharpened like a knife, is thin enough, sturdy enough, machined edge corners sharp enough to skim just below the soil surface just like scuffle hoe, and it's very effective for the areas right beneath you since at that point, you're holding the flat blade of the loop parallel to the ground so just the top curve is "hoeing" the ground .

I found it also useful for creating little furrows, sowing seeds, and then pushing and pulling loose soil over the seeds.

For some reason, I can't copy links at the moment on my iPad, but it's called a "shedding blade" and the one I got is for large dogs or horses.