What's the secret on how to deal with weeds in the garden? Can't seem to keep them under control.

[imq707s]

We decided to plant a garden this year....much bigger than we have ever planted before. It's 25x50ft, and we have it full of tomatoes, zucchini, peas, squash, potatoes, cabbage...you name it.
So far this summer it's been going great, producing like crazy.

The one thing that we are constantly fighting is the weeds. My wife is out there just about every night picking weeds, and on the weekends I'll get out there and help to. It seems like no matter how many weeds we pick, they just keep coming back. I've tried getting in there with a small tiller and going in between the rows to eat up the weeds, but that only works for about a week...then they all start coming back.

Is there any trick to getting the weeds out, and keeping them out......besides spraying weed killing all over the garden? I don't want to start doing that.

 

[redsoxs]

The biggest trick that really isn't a trick is just what you are doing and stay on top of them. Remember at the end of veggie season it is still weed season. The more weeds you spray, pull, till or otherwise don't allow to go to seed, the easier it will be for you next year. Good luck to you!

 

[stac545]

I use my fall leaves a few inches thick to smother weeds or will use black landscape fabric to get rid of weeds. In this heat the weeds under the fabric die pretty quick.

 

[KFCCHICKENUTAH]

I have two garden boxes approx 4x8x1. I load them with half garden soil, plant the seeds or seedlings and leave them till they grow approx a foot high. I cover the soil with newspaper, spray them down and then put a couple inches of compost mulch around the plant and cover the newspaper. I make sure the compost doesnt touch the plant. The mulch kills any weeds and retains water for the plant. You can also use preen which is really good at killing weeds before they even start. At the end of the year, I pull out the plants, then I cover the garden beds with a sheet of plastic and I dont take it off until I plant the next year. No seeds can get in and I just take the mulch out, till the dirt up a little, replant and refresh the compost. Every other year Ill leave the old compost in, till it into the soil and add a new layer of compost still leaving me several inches before I reach the top of the bed.

 

[Nambroth]

This year I am trying the straw mulch method in my gardens-- this is where you use dried straw (must be untreated with herbicides!) to heavily mulch the garden beds before you plant. Ideally in the late fall or early winter, but I didn't get the straw on until early early spring this year.

What I did was put down my normal compost, then on top of that a thick layer of newspaper (at least 5 sheets thick), then 5-8 inches of straw. Over time it will compact.

My observations:
NO weeds!
This does seem to encourage slugs if it is very wet (it was VERY wet here in June).
If you are northerly, it keeps the soil cooler, and so heat loving species such as nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, etc) may need to have the straw pulled away from them a bit so that the sun can better warm the soil there.
I have not had to water ONCE, even when we have had many hot and dry days in a row. The straw keeps the soil very moist.
I have seen more earthworms than ever before (don't know if this is coincidence).
I have seen more hunting spiders and toads than every before. This might gross others out but they are very important natural pest control means in my garden.

 

[3forfree]

As redsoxs said, just keep doing what you're doing. I've always worked nights, and when I get up in the morning I head for the garden to pull weeds. If I went yesterday there aren't very many, but there is some. Miss a couple of days and you have many more. I have put grass clipping between rows and between plants and kept the weeds down, the grass clippings will also moisture and help the plants. Don't give up.

 

[aggiemae]

I do a major weeding in spring then wait two weeks and do another right before I plant seeds. I use 3-4 layers of newspaper as mulch (it's printed with soy ink, If I am planting rows. like beans, carrots, beets etc I leave an opening of 2- 3" to plant the seeds. I make 4" holes correctly spaced for squash, tomatoes and such. I water it all well to saturate the paper. This gets out air pockets and flatten the paper to the ground. Then, only because our veggie garden is in front of the house, I cover the newspaper with an inch or two of mulched leaves and set up a drip system as I plant the seeds. I spot week once a week concentrating on getting weeds before they go to seed. There will always be weeds but I do have less weeds every year,

The newspaper breaks down by the end of the summer and I turn it under before I plant cover crops. BTW Worms LOVE to live under newspaper.

 

[goodb]

The secret I have found is start planning next years' garden now. Newspaper and a good organic material will go very far in keeping weeds down. There is a method that I am in the process of switching to; It's called the "Back to Eden" method and uses wood chips instead of the straw mulch method posted above. Think newspaper to smoother the weed seeds/plants and the wood chips (along with heavy compost the first year) to hold in the moisture. I saw someone in Ohio last year did it and claimed he did not water his garden at all the summer of 2012. From what I've observed in mine so far has made me a believer. There are more details but wanted to just get this out before bedtime...

 

[aggiemae]

It's called the "Back to Eden" method and uses wood chips instead of the straw mulch method posted above. Think newspaper to smoother the weed seeds/plants and the wood chips (along with heavy compost the first year) to hold in the moisture.

If you do this make sue the wood chips aren't made from shredded pallets or dyed. Also, later when you turn it under, cedar leaches nutriens out of the soil so add a heavy applacation of compost when you turn it.

 

[goodb]

If you do this make sue the wood chips aren't made from shredded pallets or dyed. Also, later when you turn it under, cedar leaches nutriens out of the soil so add a heavy applacation of compost when you turn it.

Absolutely correct on the pallets statement. You want shredded/chipped trees direct from a tree service company as this will provide as much green/brown as necessary. Actually, if you let them compost for 10 months or so, all the better. The important part is that once the mulch is applied, you do not turn it, you do not till it, you do nothing except lightly rake in compost to the top. The rain will carry the nutrients into the chips and soil beneath. And then you add more wood chips on top. Try to get to a depth of 6 inches in the base and your garden will never be the same. Get your primer at the following link. http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/