It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:33 am

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:40 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:34 am
Posts: 2
Location: waco,tx
I have beengardening for 10 years and this yr. was the worst yr for weeds/grass in my garden. the garden is about 10'by 30' and has a trim around the perimeter. I want to know once late fall comes if I can cover the surface area with something like black plastic for a couple of months to kill any grass/weeds from coming back next yr. I regularly till and turn the soil as well as add compost/leaves thru the winter. pls offer advice to rid my garden of unwanted growth before spring next yr. thx


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:09 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2003 5:09 pm
Posts: 31
Location: Houston
Do you mulch during the growth season? I use leaves, etc. to mulch my vegetable garden and this does a great job at detering the weeds. You can till it in when the growing season is over. If you don't plant in the winter you can mulch the enitre garden or grow a cover crop. I've never done the cover crop before because I can grow year-round, but I've heard many success stories.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:31 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 9:34 am
Posts: 2
Location: waco,tx
[quote="lil"]Do you mulch during the growth season? I use leaves, etc. to mulch my vegetable garden and this does a great job at detering the weeds. You can till it in when the growing season is over. If you don't plant in the winter you can mulch the enitre garden or grow a cover crop. I've never done the cover crop before because I can grow year-round, but I've heard many success stories.[/quote] I use mulch, goat/sheep manure(dirt) leaves,etc for prepping the garden and turn and till it regularly. I still had the worst year for weeds and grass ever this year. am thinking of pulling the garden out a little early this yr to get a start on killing the unwanted growth


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2003 11:09 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Posts: 147
Location: Dallas,TEXAS
I agree with you on grass invasion being more aggressive this season...and I have used shredded cedar bark mulch with success, but I have had to re-apply it frequently. Since I use "fresh" (that is, cut from the cedars a friend of mine in the Hill Country is clearing from his land) perhaps it decomposes more quickly, but this mulch seems to inhibit the grass better than shredded hardwood bark or leaf mulch, at least for me.
Using black plastic to 'solarize' an area will prevent weed and grass overgrowth, but it will also sterilize that area of any microbes and nematodes, beneficial or not. You would need to apply a lot of compost come planting season to "re-start" the soil. I have only used this in a garden area that was heavily infested with grubs and pathogenic nematodes, and it has taken about 2 seasons to bring that area back to life.
Another thing you could do is to plant a fall/winter "green manure" crop such as red clover or vetch. These grow quickly and choke out weeds and then you can plow them under for extra nitrogen in the spring.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2003 8:34 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 20, 2003 4:33 pm
Posts: 526
Location: parker county, texas
I have become a fan of using alfalfa hay for mulch in the garden. I basically lay it out like tiles and plant in between. It's the best mulch I've ever used, then when it decomposes, it becomes part of the soil, and I top off with new hay again.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife