Garden weeds...

[jbrumberg]

mrcaptainbob:

I agree with ronjhall about using hay as mulch unless it is well rotted and applied as "bale tiles" at least 4+ inches thick. I have not had a problem with weeds/weed seeds when I use heavily applied grass clippings. One year I used rolls of black plastic; it worked well until we had a powerful windstorm ( plastic was not weighted down enough) and the plastic blew into our trees. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif For years afterwards we had black Halloween "ghosts" hanging in our trees /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif. I do not use plastic mulch anymore! Jay

 

[jbrumberg]

mrcaptainbob:

I agree with ronjhall about using hay as mulch unless it is well rotted and applied as "bale tiles" at least 4+ inches thick. I have not had a problem with weeds/weed seeds when I use heavily applied grass clippings. One year I used rolls of black plastic; it worked well until we had a powerful windstorm ( plastic was not weighted down enough) and the plastic blew into our trees. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif For years afterwards we had black Halloween "ghosts" hanging in our trees /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif. I do not use plastic mulch anymore! Jay

 

[Haoleguy]

I would go with commercial salt marsh hay or the substitute marsh hay that is chopped up. The latter is a product from Maine. Not sure of market penetration to the middle of the country for these 2 products. For those who live along the seaboard seaweed and eelgrass work well with the latter having almost no odor. With the seaweeds you carefully pick the lower odor species or use far from the homestead.

 

[Haoleguy]

I would go with commercial salt marsh hay or the substitute marsh hay that is chopped up. The latter is a product from Maine. Not sure of market penetration to the middle of the country for these 2 products. For those who live along the seaboard seaweed and eelgrass work well with the latter having almost no odor. With the seaweeds you carefully pick the lower odor species or use far from the homestead.

 

[have_blue]

mrcaptainbob,

theboman has it right. Only 50x70 and sandy soil is really easy to hoe. Early in the season, the soil is very soft and the weeds small and tender. A good sharp hoe will wipe out the 50x70 plot in an hour or less. 2 correctly timed hoeing's a year should do the trick. Don't let the weeds get over 6" tall. Once the weeds get ahead of you, they're much tougher, and calls for TECHNOLOGY. Men hate hand tools and love technology. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If the weeds are taller than the garden plants, you can swipe them with Roundup. Wrap scrap cloth around an 8' stick, saturate the cloth with double-strong Roundup mix, and swipe the weed tops. More fun and satisfying than hoeing, but not free!

 

[have_blue]

mrcaptainbob,

theboman has it right. Only 50x70 and sandy soil is really easy to hoe. Early in the season, the soil is very soft and the weeds small and tender. A good sharp hoe will wipe out the 50x70 plot in an hour or less. 2 correctly timed hoeing's a year should do the trick. Don't let the weeds get over 6" tall. Once the weeds get ahead of you, they're much tougher, and calls for TECHNOLOGY. Men hate hand tools and love technology. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If the weeds are taller than the garden plants, you can swipe them with Roundup. Wrap scrap cloth around an 8' stick, saturate the cloth with double-strong Roundup mix, and swipe the weed tops. More fun and satisfying than hoeing, but not free!

 

[RalphVa]

I'm into mulching the row where the crops are. I do this early after I plow it to refresh the raised rows. Mulch after laying soaker hoses along the top and middle of each row. To plant seeds, I just pull back the mulch in a little spot where I put the seed. You could mulch after the plants are up a couple inches. Have done this, too, and you'd be able to plant via mechanical means. Could even wait then to roll out the soaker hose, using an ice pick to make a new hole where each seed or plant is.

Then hoe, hoe, hoe and pull weeds.

Have tried newspaper, mulch between the rows, Roundup between the rows and straw. Straw tends to provide its own weeds. Newspaper, cardboard and mulch between the rows just delay the inevitable. I walk down there every day and hoe about 4 rows each time. Once I complete every row, start again. Newspaper and cardboard will degrade for the next season anyway. Don't use the slick newsprint.

You can keep the Roundup from spreading by cutting a 2 liter plastic cola container midway and put the pouring spout end over the spray head. You'll probably have to unscrew the spray head, put screw threads through the spout and then screw the head back on.

Place some squash about every couple corn rows to try to shade out some weeds there, as it isn't pleasant to hoe between big corn rows. Roundup works here, too, if you don't have the squash plants.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

I'm into mulching the row where the crops are. I do this early after I plow it to refresh the raised rows. Mulch after laying soaker hoses along the top and middle of each row. To plant seeds, I just pull back the mulch in a little spot where I put the seed. You could mulch after the plants are up a couple inches. Have done this, too, and you'd be able to plant via mechanical means. Could even wait then to roll out the soaker hose, using an ice pick to make a new hole where each seed or plant is.

Then hoe, hoe, hoe and pull weeds.

Have tried newspaper, mulch between the rows, Roundup between the rows and straw. Straw tends to provide its own weeds. Newspaper, cardboard and mulch between the rows just delay the inevitable. I walk down there every day and hoe about 4 rows each time. Once I complete every row, start again. Newspaper and cardboard will degrade for the next season anyway. Don't use the slick newsprint.

You can keep the Roundup from spreading by cutting a 2 liter plastic cola container midway and put the pouring spout end over the spray head. You'll probably have to unscrew the spray head, put screw threads through the spout and then screw the head back on.

Place some squash about every couple corn rows to try to shade out some weeds there, as it isn't pleasant to hoe between big corn rows. Roundup works here, too, if you don't have the squash plants.

Ralph

 

[EastTexFrank]

If anyone can come up with an easy (lazy) answer to this one I'm listening. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I use all the methods described. I spray Roundup, 2-4-D, I till, I hoe and I mulch. Every spring I sweep the yard and collect all the pine needles that have come down over the winter. They make great mulch. The secret I think is not to let the weeds get ahead of you. Walk up and down between the rows every couple of days and hit them with a hoe. That way it only takes 30 minutes or an hour at the most to keep them under control.

 

[EastTexFrank]

If anyone can come up with an easy (lazy) answer to this one I'm listening. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I use all the methods described. I spray Roundup, 2-4-D, I till, I hoe and I mulch. Every spring I sweep the yard and collect all the pine needles that have come down over the winter. They make great mulch. The secret I think is not to let the weeds get ahead of you. Walk up and down between the rows every couple of days and hit them with a hoe. That way it only takes 30 minutes or an hour at the most to keep them under control.