grocery bags in my garden

[xray_a]

After a few weeks of picking up extra shifts at work like a mad woman, I actually had a day off. So I strolled over to my garden plot to discover it towering with weeds! Luckily, my veggies were also doing well. I have a basket full of nice ripe tomatoes to show for it!

So to combat the jungle of weeds, I bummed some hedge shears from a neighbor and I hacked everything down that I could. Any weeds that hadn't gone to seed, I left on the ground as free mulch. On top of this, I took paper grocery sacks and fitted them around my plants. I only had enough to do one layer but hopefully next week, I will reinforce them. It looks a little strange and I'm sure my neighbors are all scratching their heads, but I sure hope this works at keeping the weeds down.

Oh and I have at least 4 baby icebox watermelons on the vine that are the size of my fist, and 10 more that had open flowers today. Can't wait to be able to cut them open!

Angela

[microcollie]

let me know how that goes. I've tried the paper thing a couple times now, and both times I became overrun with slugs and snails. Anyone else noticed this? I'd way rather deal with weeds.

[Ozark Lady]

I don't mulch early in the season due to slugs.

The other night, I was milking, a bit late, by flashlight, and I went to pick up a bucket to take it back to the feed room, yuck, I touched a slimy slug on it... gross...

So slugs like metal buckets too! Not sure that anything prevents slugs! There is no paper, cardboard, or anything there, just a dirt floor with a milking stand on it... and slugs are there, wonder why? Could it be they smell the grains that I am feeding?

[gixxerific]

Don't forget newspaper. We all get a weekly small local paper around here whether you want it or not. Most people don't so I take them to shred for the compost or for a weed barrier. I even have my kids trained. When we go for walks they pick them up as well or they might come home from a friends house with the papers the find on the way.

When I get grass or leaves from people that come in those degradable bags I put the bags down first the the contents on top of the bags.

But you are going in the right direction. These products are great for weed barriers plus you are keeping it out of the landfills.

I used to use the cloth weed barrier you get from the store. But long ago I realized what a waste that was. First off even if it works the first year after soil and mulch is applied to the top of it eventually weeds will come back. Heck they even grown in the small crevices in driveways. But using paper is not only a green way to reduce waste but it keeps down weeds and adds nutrients to your soil as it breaks down.

End of rant.

[shadowsmom]

gixxerific, you made me laugh - training your kids to bring home newspaper, oh wait, I do that to. I swipe the stack of newspaper left for recycling at work each week. People probably wonder why I drive to the dumpster in the back each week and take newspaper and cardboard.

[farmerlon]

I find the paper mulch (newspaper, paper, or cardboard) to be most effective when I have a layer of grass clippings (or similar) to go on top of it. That extra material helps to keep the paper where you want it, and the extra weight gives the paper more "weed smothering power"!

[gixxerific]

I find the paper mulch (newspaper, paper, or cardboard) to be most effective when I have a layer of grass clippings (or similar) to go on top of it. That extra material helps to keep the paper where you want it, and the extra weight gives the paper more "weed smothering power"!

Good ideas but the grass a "Green" (high nitrogen material) compliments the papers "Brown" (High carbon material). You need both for good composting. Too many greens and you get a smelly mush, too many carbons and you sit and sit and sit doing nothing much. A good ratio is what will excelerate your compost, and yes even mulch is composting.

Feed your garden and it will love you.

[farmerlon]

... Feed your garden and it will love you.

Agreed ! that's another reason I like to add the grass clippings with the paper, it's just more organic matter added to the soil in the end.