Easier way to weed the garden?

[petertang]

Put down newspaper and cardboard and then mulch on top of that. Weeds that poke through that you could individually remove or since they are so hardy, treat 'em like a champion and declare them a non-weed. I'm starting my garden where I live on top of pasture grass. Instead of tilling I put down thick cardboard and then garden mix on top. I'll see how that does. I had good results with a layered or lasagna garden several years ago so this is a similar technique that I hope proves fruitful.

 

[grnspot110]

Mulch is the way to go for me!

I've used aged, coarse sawdust for years. I garden in beds, not rows, lay on a 2"-3" layer of coarse sawdust as soon as the plants are tall enough, potatoes get at least 4". Keeps the weeds down and moisture in. I get the sawdust from an Amish pallet plant about 20 mi. from home, free for the hauling. I will bring in next years supply later this summer, Best to add a little extra nitrogen and turnit unde in the fall.

grnspot110

 

[GaryE]

I use grass clippings from the yard and field. Once you wet it down not much will grow through. Then just till it in at the end of the year.

 

[bontai_Joe]

Kinda late for this year, but if you can cover the entire garden area with a black plastic tarp about 6 weeks before tilling and planting, the sun will kill most of your weeds for you. Seems the warmth absorbed by the tarp will cause most seeds under it to germinated and sprout, but once sprouted under the tarp, they receive no sunlight and soon die. It's a cheap way to semi-sterilize the soil in your garden.

 

[Chuck52]

I got myself a lawn sweeper specifically so I could use the grass clippings as mulch. I collected enough to mulch my garden fairly completely the first use. Where the mulch is thick enough, it really stops the weeds. I'm using the clippings on my potatoes, too, instead of hilling them up with dirt. We'll see how that works. So far the tops look happy. As to the mini-tillers, you should be able to find one of the cheap ones on sale for $200 or less. I have a Ryobi that I've used for 2-3 years now. Got it for something like $100-$150 I think. Except on the really hard crust that forms on my garden soil after a long dry spell, it works pretty well. I was using it yesterday on the areas between where I had mulched and it was pretty effective. Another aspect of the mulch is how well it conserves the moisture. We had early heavy rains this spring, but none now for over a week. The uncovered soil is getting pretty hard, but around my tomatoes and peppers, where I mulched heavy, the top of the soil is still damp and soft. I was chasing earthworms with the tiller when I'd catch the edge of the grass clippings while tilling the weeds between rows. As said above, you should let the clippings dry and brown some before using them right on the plants, but I'm going to throw the green clippings between the rows as I get them.

Chuck

 

[vrman]

I have used weed block in the past. It lets the rain/water through, but blocks the weeds. Works pretty well, but it is on the expensive side if you have a large garden.

I've heard of some people using Preen. I don't think it kills the weeds though, just slows their growth down. I haven't tried this yet but I was thinking about it this year.

Most of the time I just use my front tine tiller to run through the garden. You can pick up a cheap one from your local hardware chain for less than $200. Might even find one cheaper from a local repair shop that works on small engines.

Oh, and I hate those mini tillers like mantis. If you're going to spend that much money on something that is such a pain in the arse to use, you may as well get a decent size one and just space your rows accordingly.

 

[petertang]

I have to agree with vrman on the Mantis...it's like tilling with a chainsaw. I'm going to take advantage of the money-back guarantee and send it back. I read an article on no-till gardening and that's what I'm planning on doing.

 

[Chuck52]

I've found my mini-tiller somewhat useful, but it is true it doesn't do what you could do with a bigger front tine tiller. My ultimate plan is to go to all raised beds. I've got four now and they are much easier to weed than my main garden, mostly because I added about 50% compost to them and that makes it easy to pull any weeds that come up. There were some weed seeds in the dirt when I built them, but after the first year they're mostly gone and I just get the occassional oak seedling and such from the squirrels, I bet. Another nice thing about raised beds is you can work them even when it's so wet you wouldn't want to walk through your garden.

Chuck

 

[Mud Dr.]

Do you plant on rows or in beds. I have a buddy that swears by mulching between rows with old newspaper. Me, I add compost when I work the rows. I usually make my rows about 20" apart and use my Troy built RT tiller set shllow and cultivate between the rows. Works for me.

 

[tillerkiller]

Thanks for all the good ideas everybody, it looks like I am going to try to choke the weeds out with mulch. I talked with a neighbor about this and he uses (and re-uses) strips of used carpeting and has good luck that way. Me, I am going to rake up some grass and see where I get with that, and maybe get a few hay bales too. I like the idea of the black plastic though and will try that next year.