How do you deal with weeds?

[BIGRED]

I noticed that last season we had a lot more weeds in our garden. Anyone notice this? How are you getting rid of your weeds? We spent numerous hours on our hands and knees pulling them out.

 

[RichZ]

The best way is to prevent them as best you can. We use a lot of mulch and landscape fabric where ever we can. Puling weeks is miserable work, and we do not use herbacides.

 

[Shelbii]

In our vegetable garden we make sure we put the rows far enough apart to get a rototiller between them. We run that and go behind it and grab the weeds it loosens up.

 

[greg]

Most people are opting for more natural ways these days. Like @RichZ says, finding suitable methods of prevention is the best way, which includes the use of mulch. It is preferable to use organic mulch and apply it two inches deep in the garden area.

 

[SHS Drew]

you gan stimulate weed growth in early spring while you are getting starts going in the green house then a few days before transplant burn the weeds & fork soil (dont want to till after fully) this will be a way that works for organic & nonorganic equally.

 

[jjp8182]

Cut them down prior to them going to seed and then let them lie there as mulch/ground cover. A hand-held sickle can be very useful for that....

At least that's what I did last year as it became impossible to keep the grass (and some weeds) out of the garden by hand.

Just to qualify that statement, during peak growing season my yard can requiring mowing multiple times a week just to keep it from growing into a "forest" as the grass will grow more than an inch/week in good conditions. ...and that may be a conservative estimate.

 

[jack]

Cut them down prior to them going to seed and then let them lie there as mulch/ground cover. A hand-held sickle can be very useful for that....

At least that's what I did last year as it became impossible to keep the grass (and some weeds) out of the garden by hand.

Just to qualify that statement, during peak growing season my yard can requiring mowing multiple times a week just to keep it from growing into a "forest" as the grass will grow more than an inch/week in good conditions. ...and that may be a conservative estimate.

Yes, the most effective method is cutting them down before they seed, though this can be labor-intensive in an extensive garden. What are your thoughts on the chemical options? I have heard that pre-emergent herbicides can stop the weeds from germinating.

 

[Roo4]

We pull them out before they go to seed. That's the key, before they seed. They can't spread if you get them out then. I love the tiller idea too. Maybe we will put a bit extra space between our rows next year.

 

[jjp8182]

Yes, the most effective method is cutting them down before they seed, though this can be labor-intensive in an extensive garden. What are your thoughts on the chemical options? I have heard that pre-emergent herbicides can stop the weeds from germinating.

I tend to be of the mind that all options have their use/place, so having said that I'll say I haven't tried pre-emergents as of yet as there are lots of different options even for rather extensive gardens (e.g. flame weeding/sterilization, mechanical cutting/mowing, cultivating/hand weeding, cover crops, altering soil ph).

Some of the cutting down of weeds I did in the garden involved taking a string trimmer to cut grass/weeds between rows as the garden last year was ~5000sq. ft. .... a hand sickle permitted getting closer to the plants than the string trimmer.

 

[BIGRED]

I'm so glad I asked!! Thank you for such great, detailed answers. I've got a few things to try next season. I'm hoping it will save a lot of time!