Till it in?

[Chuck52]

As will probably turn out to be the usual for me, the weeds in parts of my garden where the early crops were taken out have gotten pretty high....some to my knees. I'm getting ready to clean out everything but the okra (bless it's tough heart!) so that I can plant a green manure crop. I know it's not supposed to be a good idea to till in tomato vines because they can harbor diseases, but I'm not sure about the weeds. Should I just till 'em in and let them sheet compost, or will I end up with more weeds next year? I suppose it depends on whether they have gone to seed, and some do have seed heads, though I don't know if they are "ripe". I know good garden practice would have been to keep the weeds under control, even in the fallow areas of the garden, but the weird weather contributed to the problem. During the month long drought that killed most everything the deer didn't eat, I was able to keep the weeds down. Then we got five inches of rain just before taking-the-last-kid-to-college time, and the weeds, evil scheming things that they are, sprang from the earth like the Morlogs or Morlocks or whatever in "The Time Machine" and ate my lunch while my back was turned. So...do I return the favor and till 'em in?

Chuck

 

[Argee]

If the weeds are as high as you say they are, they have already dropped their seed for next year. Tilling them in will give you organic matter similar to what you get from a cover crop. Weed seeds can live for years in the soil, whenever you stir the soil(plowing, discing, cultivating, rototilling) you turn up new weed seeds. The only way to naturally get rid of them is to starve them from sunlight. So next year you may want to plant your garden and mulch with straw after the plants come in or plant several crops of buckwheat which grows quickly and shades out weeds. Turn it in just after it flowers(before it goes to seed)...repeat...What you'll be doing is incorporating a massive amount of organic matter (holds water and nutrients) into your soil and beating the weeds at their own game. At the end of the season plant winter rye and turn over in the spring. Not only will it hold your soil for the winter but also retards weed growth in the spring by releasing toxins that inhibit other seeds from sprouting. After you re-establish a garden, keep the weeds controlled by mulching.

 

[TerryinMD]

I agree with Agree!!! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

If the weeds have dropped their seed, the damage is done. However, if they haven't or much of the seed head is still on the plants, you may want to try to mow/weed wack the plants to remove the seed heads. It will take some work but will save time next year - been there.... done that and doing that!!! /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif We made the mistake of getting some horse manure than had not fully composted and we have been fighting a battle with the weeds. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Just for grins, take a close look at the seed heads of the weeds. Most weeds develop thousands of seeds. If the seeds have already matured and dropped, fold back the plants and see how much seed is on the ground. It is amazing!! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

If you choose not to remove the seed heads, I suggest that you still mow or bush hog the weeds. Once the weeds have set seed, typically the stalks are drier and tend to get wrapped up in the tines of your tiller. By chopping them up, your tiller will incorporate them into the soil without fouling the tines.

Mulching between the plants and especially in the rows between the plants is important. Since we are growing a lot of vegetables and herbs to sell, we have begun to use silt fabric between the rows. This has lessened the amount of work for us. Our rows are 50 ft long to accomodate the soaker hoses and we cut and sealed the silt fabric at each end so that we allow only 6-9 inches of exposed soil for the plants. We get weed protection and moisture retention with this method. The fabric comes in widths of 2, 3, and 4 ft. We have located a source in Georgia and buy the stuff in long rolls and they also can provide the long staples to hold the fabric to the soil. This fabric is pretty tough and will last a few seasons - i.e. much better than black plastic as it allows moisture to seep into the soil. This method is not 100% effective as weed seed will germinate if the seed is on top of the fabric. However, the weeds can easily be removed.

The battle to control weeds is never ending and takes time to get the problem under control. Cultivation and hand weeding are the best solutions to get control. A side benefit (depends on your view, of course), is that you can spend a few hours doing mindless work to leave all of your troubles behind you. Also, if you get the family involved, it provides for some "quality" time to just work at a leasurely pace and talk. You also begin to see some of natures amazing plants and creatures at work - watch lady bug nymphs munch on aphids, soldier bugs stalking, different spiders and mites, etc.

Terry

 

[FamilyFarm]

Someone once suggested that I burn off the weeds, then till it all in - said this would be good for the soil(?). Is this a good idea??

Terry

 

[TerryinMD]

Yes, that is another option - as long as there are no burning bans in place as we have in Maryland and other areas affected by this years drier summer.

As a note, burning does not get rid of many of the seeds. It just helps release them. We've tried that method also.

I believe the best method is to chop up the weeds as previously mentioned and then till the buggers in. It never hurts to get as much organic matter into the soil as possible.

Terry

 

[Chuck52]

Terry,

Since for some unknown reason my ancient weedeater has suddenly found new life, I will whack those things into smaller pieces and then till them in with my trusty KK 60". I need to increase the organic content of the plot, though this will probably get me more weeds next year. I was thinking hairy vetch for the green manure crop because of the plant volume...a friend said it made lots of roughage. The winter rye sounds OK, but how long do the inhibitory compounds persist in the soil? Would they cause problems with the vegetable seeds in the spring? I may well go with the weed barrier cloth next year too. I just need to plan the garden layout a bit better so that I can efficiently use it.

Chuck

 

[Argee]

The toxins last for two or so weeks after you till it in. If you combine hairy vetch and rye you get the benefit of the vetch fixing nitrogen in the soil. The rye acts as a nurse crop, protecting it from the severity of winter.

 

[Chuck52]

Sounds good. I should be able to get most any of the cover crop seeds with all the ag in this area. I like the sound of hairy vetch. In fact, I think I know some hairy vetches.

Chuck