I mentioned before that I have a very bad back. So bad, that my garden was terrible this year. Weeds took over most of my garden. So, at the end of the season, I paid a guy to clean up my garden, and it appears that he did a fabulous job. But today, I saw a few tiny weeds coming out. I pulled them.
My gardening is all raised beds. I was thinking of covering them with black rubber mats for the winter. I will mulch for 2016, as I always do.
Good idea? Bad idea? Have any better ideas?
This is just so sad, as I love my garden, but I just cant handle it like it needs to be handled with my back problem.
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Gardener123
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applestar
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Although something like rubber mats would work, I think it's better to mulch with organic matter for the winter in such a way that the soil can breathe.
To be completely weedless, I would first put down layers of paper -- I prefer to use couple sheet layers of packing Kraft paper but 4-5 sheet layers of newspaper is another option -- they say that the ink nowadays is soy-based and non-toxic.
If you put a short border fence all around (like the cheap accordion folded wire one) it will help to contain the mulch material. I would go ahead and fill with fall leaves as first choice since that would be free, but straw wouldn't be a bad idea either. Then to keep everything contained and not blow away, I would cover with agricultural fleece/floating cover.
This way, rain and snowmelt can percolate down to moisten the soil as well as allowing the soil to breathe. The material can be pinned down to the soil with the legs of the wire border fence.
To be completely weedless, I would first put down layers of paper -- I prefer to use couple sheet layers of packing Kraft paper but 4-5 sheet layers of newspaper is another option -- they say that the ink nowadays is soy-based and non-toxic.
If you put a short border fence all around (like the cheap accordion folded wire one) it will help to contain the mulch material. I would go ahead and fill with fall leaves as first choice since that would be free, but straw wouldn't be a bad idea either. Then to keep everything contained and not blow away, I would cover with agricultural fleece/floating cover.
This way, rain and snowmelt can percolate down to moisten the soil as well as allowing the soil to breathe. The material can be pinned down to the soil with the legs of the wire border fence.
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jal_ut
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Weeds, can't get rid of them. the seed comes on the wind, in my case in the irrigation water, not to mention those that actually go to seed on the garden. Some weeds have a perennial root stock and the only way to get that is actually dig up the roots and remove them. Morning Glory or Bindweed is a good example.
Don't worry about some weeds. As long as you pull them before seeding, they make good compost or mulch. Just drop them on the garden as you pull them.
Many gardeners get after the weeds with a wheel hoe or a tiller or just the old HOE. I use a wide bladed butcher knife for close weeding. Whatever you choose, for sure you have to work at it. Weeds are a fact of life.
Don't worry about some weeds. As long as you pull them before seeding, they make good compost or mulch. Just drop them on the garden as you pull them.
Many gardeners get after the weeds with a wheel hoe or a tiller or just the old HOE. I use a wide bladed butcher knife for close weeding. Whatever you choose, for sure you have to work at it. Weeds are a fact of life.
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jal_ut
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Then there is Purslane. It is a succulent and those big juicy leaves are edible. If pulled and tossed on the garden they will send down roots and grow . You have to actually take these off the garden.
https://www.garden.org/weedlibrary/?q=show&id=2390
https://www.garden.org/weedlibrary/?q=show&id=2390
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Gardener123
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jal_ut wrote:Then there is Purslane. It is a succulent and those big juicy leaves are edible. If pulled and tossed on the garden they will send down roots and grow . You have to actually take these off the garden.
https://www.garden.org/weedlibrary/?q=show&id=2390
They look like what I had a whole lot of.... never new the name.
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rainbowgardener
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Purslane is very nutritious AND quite tasty.Mulching will reduce the weeds, but like Jal-ut said, some weeds can be a bit more persistant and some seeds will be dormant. When you plant again weed seeds may blow in from the surroundings so a weed free garden will be hard to achieve. Keeping the soil planted and mulched will help to reduce weeds.
I feel for you. I know what it is like to live with chronic pain. You just need to make everything as ergonomic as you can and get help when you need it.
I feel for you. I know what it is like to live with chronic pain. You just need to make everything as ergonomic as you can and get help when you need it.
Solarization works best in the midst of summer so the steam can kill the weeds. Cardboard and heavy plastic with a deep layer of mulch will keep most of the weeds from sprouting. Before you plant water and let whatever weed seeds are dormant sprout and either pull them out or cover them with cardboard or an old carpet until they die and remove the covering and repeat until you don't see any more weeds sprout.
The trick to making this work is to make sure you have amended and tilled the bed to get it ready to plant before you try to sprout the weeds. After the weeds are no longer coming up, plant your seeds directly without tilling. Tilling may bring up more weed seeds that are deeper in the ground.
I have nut sedge in my garden and it is pretty bad so I am using plain roundup on them now since I have more nut sedge and spurge that anything else. I have tried digging them out but it is just impossible there are just too many. I was told that I would have to use the round up more than once to make sure the nuts in the chain are dead too. The snails don't like the weeds, so I figured since they won't let me plant my vegetables I might as well try to get rid of more of the weeds. I don't have much planted in the garden now. I just cannot spray close to the plants on the edge of the garden.
For the rest of the yard, I am doing a combination of hand pulling and round up. The weeds are too out of control for me to keep up with it so I need all the help I can get. I even have to sickle down the weeds before I can weed whack. P.S. Weed whackers make it look better, but it doesn't kill any weed roots so they come back with a vengence.
Sedge hammer was designed specifically for nut sedge but it is not recommended to be used in the veggie garden.
I am using image on the grass on the curbing which is the only grass that was still salvageable.
I have started to dig out the remains of the dead grass in the front yard to get ready to renovate it. I will use roundup to kill the weeds there now. Most of the grass is already dead. In fact the healthiest grass was the ones that invaded the border bed. I was going to save it to replant the lawn, but I have more of that grass growing in the yard and it is Dwarf St. Augustine so it grows quickly not like Emerald zoysia. It isn't so dwarf though, with all the rain I will have to sickle it down first before I can weed whack it some of it is over 2 ft tall.
https://www.naturalhub.com/grow_food_weed_control.htm
The trick to making this work is to make sure you have amended and tilled the bed to get it ready to plant before you try to sprout the weeds. After the weeds are no longer coming up, plant your seeds directly without tilling. Tilling may bring up more weed seeds that are deeper in the ground.
I have nut sedge in my garden and it is pretty bad so I am using plain roundup on them now since I have more nut sedge and spurge that anything else. I have tried digging them out but it is just impossible there are just too many. I was told that I would have to use the round up more than once to make sure the nuts in the chain are dead too. The snails don't like the weeds, so I figured since they won't let me plant my vegetables I might as well try to get rid of more of the weeds. I don't have much planted in the garden now. I just cannot spray close to the plants on the edge of the garden.
For the rest of the yard, I am doing a combination of hand pulling and round up. The weeds are too out of control for me to keep up with it so I need all the help I can get. I even have to sickle down the weeds before I can weed whack. P.S. Weed whackers make it look better, but it doesn't kill any weed roots so they come back with a vengence.
Sedge hammer was designed specifically for nut sedge but it is not recommended to be used in the veggie garden.
I am using image on the grass on the curbing which is the only grass that was still salvageable.
I have started to dig out the remains of the dead grass in the front yard to get ready to renovate it. I will use roundup to kill the weeds there now. Most of the grass is already dead. In fact the healthiest grass was the ones that invaded the border bed. I was going to save it to replant the lawn, but I have more of that grass growing in the yard and it is Dwarf St. Augustine so it grows quickly not like Emerald zoysia. It isn't so dwarf though, with all the rain I will have to sickle it down first before I can weed whack it some of it is over 2 ft tall.
https://www.naturalhub.com/grow_food_weed_control.htm
Just some comments from someone who likes K-I-S-S (keep it simple) and within budget. Perhaps more important work WITH your plants, soil, elements.
Spread a thin layer of mulch, about 1" -2" on the beds. I like shredded hardwood. This will allow the soil to breath, and the elements including snow, rain, freeze, thaw and most important sun to help your soil and all the micro organisms in it. If you have worms, perhaps going deeper in cold spells. As you work each bed in spring, turn the mulch in.
You won't be weed free, but this will give your soil cover (needed) and suppress some weeds.
Spread a thin layer of mulch, about 1" -2" on the beds. I like shredded hardwood. This will allow the soil to breath, and the elements including snow, rain, freeze, thaw and most important sun to help your soil and all the micro organisms in it. If you have worms, perhaps going deeper in cold spells. As you work each bed in spring, turn the mulch in.
You won't be weed free, but this will give your soil cover (needed) and suppress some weeds.
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lovely_star
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