What's your garden strategy?

slydog · Nov 8, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

Hey Glen,
Can you mail me a couple of those Roast beef sandwiches with gravy from Ray's PeeGee, and a large "sweep the kitchen" from Johnny's ??? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I also have a question for you guys on gardening and weeds. My small 40x30 backyard garden almost killed me this year with the weeds. It was the first year I have had it in and when I broke the ground this spring, it was mostly bermuda grass. I didn't use any type of weed killer at all, just tilled with my troy built, made up rows then planted. I did find that mulching with dried lawn clippings, and pine needles helped a lot. But I spent most of my time hand weeding between plants, and hoe'n in the afternoons. It was a constant job, and almost makes it not worth the trouble. I finally gave up on the nutgrass and burmuda after a couple of months of harvesting as it just took all my time. How can I do this better next year where it isn't working me to death? What is your regiment for the year from starting in the spring till the fall to battle and control these dang weeds and grasses? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ken

Bob_Skurka · Nov 8, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

Personally I never weed my garden. I do a few things like grass mulch to supress them. Sometimes in the fall or early winters I will lay down plastic over the garden area (not this year as I'm changing things completely) and allow the sun to bake the area. Black plastic works best as it blocks light and soaks up heat, but I've done it with clear plastic as well. The plastic seems to bake the weed seeds and those that germinate end up baking. It does not get the soil so hot as to kill the microrganisms that are beneficial, it just gets it hot enough to bake off the sprouts. If your climate will allow it, go to the hardware store and get a large roll of visqueen and lay it down within the next 30 days or so. It will work well, and you can reuse the plastic for several years if you take care to make sure the winds don't pull it up. (concrete blocks around the perimeter work wonders, I also buried the perimeter with a couple inches of dirt).

Then the grass mulching seems to surpress a lot after the plants start growing. Better than grass alone is a layer of newspaper topped with grass. Put the newspaper down so it is 2 to 4 sheets thick right after you set out the tansplants (keep a hose handy to wet it down so the wind doesn't blow it; immediatly put some grass mulch over the paper to keep it in place after it dries. Newspapers & grass mulch also work well after seeds sprout. I sort of figure some weeds are OK as long as they don't overtake things.

As I am increasing the size of my garden plans for next spring, I'm not sure what will be practical, but I've used the above methods for my gardens in the past and they averaged about 30' by 60'.

SPIKER · Nov 8, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

slydog: till it good this time of year and leave it bare so any thing that trys to sprout will be easy to see and remove. the roots will die out after being torn up and not gettting a chanvce to re-grow. also will make seeds die out as they will rot in the gorund or germinate quick so that next spring when you till it again it will not have as much re-groth. it is hard starting a garden where once there was grass/weeds. takes a few seasons of hard work to get them right.

MarkM /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Glenn9643 · Nov 8, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

Ken,
You really just need to stop by this area to get those groceries!
This was my first year with this garden spot too, and with all the rains the weeds took it. I've been tilling it occasionally to help kill weeds as they sprouted (since I cleaned the garden remnants off) and I've also been spraying with Manage for the nutsedge. It's probably still warm enough for you to spray roundup to help with the bermuda if it's still growing. I've made some headway against the weeds this fall. I bedded it up in rows about a month ago and don't have any weeds sprouting yet. May not have much of a problem this winter, and if not I'll just go back over the beds with the disk-bedder this spring and plant. Probably try to find some wheat straw to mulch the middles if it's available this spring.

EastTexFrank · Nov 9, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

In the raised beds I use weed cloth and pine straw mulch and that works pretty good. In my "open" garden I spray and till, spray and till. Grasses especially are tough to kill without spraying. A lot of them propogate by runners and rhizomes so tilling on its own just seems to help them to spread.

There's an old saying, "If you let it run to seed, for 7 years will you weed" . I don't know who came up with that one 'cos I've been on this place for 7 years and I'm still weeding. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Good luck.

Libertine · Nov 9, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

Pineridge:

I have actually never done a soil sample. 

The soil test I was suggesting above was for structure, not a chemical analysis. Structure is the actual physical composition of the soil. All soil is particles of sand, silt and clay (from very large - relatively - to very small). In addition, decayed organic matter (humus). The smaller the particles the more water attaches (there are more particles per cubic inch-ie much greater surface area for water to adhere to). Which is why a "clay" type soil doesn't drain as well as a sandy soil (sandy soil has much, much less surface area per cubic inch than clay). You can easily test that yourself as suggested - take a sample from say 6" down, pack a quart jar about 1/3 full, fill the rest with water to the top, shake it up real good so everything is in suspension, then leave it on a windowsill (so the light is behind it). The heavier particles (the sand) will drift down, silt particles will be above that and the clay layer next. Floating on the clear water will be the organic matter. You will be able to see dividing lines between the different material. Where the dividing lines are, will determine the relative percentages of material. For example, if sand/silt/clay layers are together say 3" but the sand layer is say less than 1/2" then your soil is only about 15% or less sand (a little low). You get the idea. The thickness of the floating humus layer will tell you the relative organic content of your soil.

As far as the chemical analysis, Bird's suggestion about sending to a college or contacting your county agent is right on. However, you can perform your own chemical analysis (as least as far as the basics are concerned-if you need tests for the various micro-nutrients you'd be better off sending a sample off for a lab to do). Kits are available from various places. I don't have the URL handy, but a search for "PeacefulValleyFarmSupply" should turn up something. Or try Johnnysselectedseeds (I think they sell soil testing kits also). I've never had my soil tested (outside tests), but I have used labs to test for chemical composition and they are cheap and prompt. A couple years ago I was doing some experiments in raising the protein level in field corn through fermentation (prior to distillation). Sent samples off to a lab in Memphis and they sent back a complete analysis. (Never could get the protein level high enough though).

JEH

PS thanks to all of you who have been posting their particular approaches to gardening. It's interesting to see the various approaches you all are using.

slydog · Nov 10, 2004

Re: What\'s your garden strategy?

( Ken,
You really just need to stop by this area to get those groceries! )

Thanks for all of the great suggestions guys! I will definitely take all of your advice.

My wife is from Monroe, and she still has friends and relatives there so I'm sure we will be heading down that way in the next few months, which means we will definitley be stopping in at Rays, and Johnnys!!!