What did you do in the garden today?

[Liz Birdlover]

I would try mowing it as low as you can set the mower. Repeating as soon as the grass is high enough for the blade to catch much of it. Repeating multiple times. It would be most effective and most efficient to wait until the summer.

Once most of it gives up, or a few weeks before you expect winter if you get winter where you are) disk it, plant a cover crop of rye (cereal rye, not rye grass) or buckwheat. Disk that under whenever it is the best time of year to plant your flowers.

Or devote another year to a succession of cover crops. Here, I would do rye over winter, then oats, then (maybe) sudan grass or buckwheat, then rye again. Disking each under when it is about 6 inches high.

A garden cultivator would work instead of disking.

If there are any really stubborn spots, like a dip or bump that keeps the mower blade high, cover that with cardboard.

That is probably what I will do, utilizing the benefits of cover crop. I've heard it said that rye is really tough on weeds...hopefully the nutsedges, too. I do not have a tractor but a neighbor does...maybe he would not mind a few swipes as he does that nasty field across the street. I do have a tiller, a walk behind, might be a challenge, though. I wish I could hook up tractor equipment to the 4x4 truck. Maybe I can get a modified hitch to do that. Make a drag box for the gravel driveway too. I know...hard on truck transmission. I need a tractor.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, cereal rye has some allelopathic properties.

You can use a truck to pull some implements. My tractor's hydraulic system has some issues. It is essentially a truck when it comes to the disk or plow - I have to get off and hand crank the plates/shears up and down.

 

[Sueby]

It doesn't happen here either.
I use a mister, pump sprayer to water my starts in promix. Once established, I water sparingly from the bottom.
Vermiculite alone was $15 last year.
The year before that I lost seeds and 10 days to improperly rinsed (by the company) salty coir.
The year before that, I couldn't even FIND two ingredients for my starter.

Yes, I remember your nightmare with the salty coir! Mine is for containers outside, not for starts, so I had no choice in the water they got. We've already had the wettest winter on record & it's not over yet. DH keeps asking when we moved to the PNW. Last summer/fall was so wet I think I watered the garden 1 or 2 times.

Nice out today, but a little chilly. Looking forward to the rain Friday to melt this snow - I'm itching to get out there.

 

[Sally PB]

I have heard of, but never used, a heat gun style weed killer. Hot enough to kill the weeds, but the heat wouldn't go down into the ground too far, so -- hopefully! -- you wouldn't kill the worms and other living "good guys" down there.

 

[Sueby]

I have heard of, but never used, a heat gun style weed killer. Hot enough to kill the weeds, but the heat wouldn't go down into the ground too far, so -- hopefully! -- you wouldn't kill the worms and other living "good guys" down there.

DH uses one & it works well. Much better than spraying. Took a couple times for him to get the hang of how much to burn, but he's liking it.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

DH uses one & it works well. Much better than spraying. Took a couple times for him to get the hang of how much to burn, but he's liking it.

Hmmm, have to check that out

 

[cj2024]

I ended up covering my Kajari melons with a paper bag, the bees were stinging my melons through my nylon fruit bags. I managed to save a lot of small melons.

My melons had hardly any sweetness to them, so I used a spoon to take the seed out from the top and I scraped the flesh around the inside and left the mash inside the hollowed melon with a tbs of sugar and ice water to fill. I really enjoyed the melon this way and thought I should share my experience.

 

[Molpet]

I ended up covering my Kajari melons with a paper bag, the bees were stinging my melons through my nylon fruit bags. I managed to save a lot of small melons.

My melons had hardly any sweetness to them, so I used a spoon to take the seed out from the top and I scraped the flesh around the inside and left the mash inside the hollowed melon with a tbs of sugar and ice water to fill. I really enjoyed the melon this way and thought I should share my experience.

I had to look those up. Apparently they will continue to ripen after being picked.
What kind of bees sting fruit?

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I had to look those up. Apparently they will continue to ripen after being picked.
What kind of bees sting fruit?

They sting the fruit? They aren't eating it, but rather actually stinging? Wow, talk about attitude lol.

 

[akroberts1085]

That's about 2 blocks from me.