I decided earlier this month that I could solve a lot of the problems in my garden with a modest investment in it’s infrastructure. So I dropped a little cash on high quality landscape fabric and once the holiday’s pass I’ll order up the drip tape I need to implement the balance of my plan.
My problem is that I bust my ass in the spring, just before planting time, to clear out the weeds in the planting boxes and along the pathways between the boxes. I’ve all but given up on the three large planting areas, even if I till everything under and mulch extensively, the weeds attack with such a vengeance that within a month the areas are overwhelmed and gardening is untenable.
Here is a photo taken by Google-Earth, the areas of my garden that have become unusable are those within the yellow borders. An entire half of my garden has become unusable and the half that was usable required an inordinate amount of effort just to beat the weeds back.
Here is one of the planting areas as seen from the ground
Even those area covered in weed block fell prey to the onslaught. This is a bed that had cabbage in it. The weeds became so pervasive, even with a healthy mulching, that succession planting was impossible. The weeds were choking out the cabbage and stealing both the nutrients in the soil and the water.
The bed adjacent to the cabbage (below), it was set in garlic but was quickly besieged.
I stumbled across a series of videos by a young family in the Ozarks and discovered the solution to my problems: a quality ground cover and drip irrigation system. Here is how things are working out for them:
This couple has many good videos that, had I viewed them earlier, would have saved me a lot of grief!
Amazon sent the fabric along a couple of days back. I still don’t understand how they can provide and ship things so cheaply (I could not have shipped a roll for what they sold and shipped for). I’m using the 4′ fabric and tried it out on several 12′ planting boxes yesterday afternoon. One of the boxes holds garlic, so I burned holes at 6″ intervals with 1 foot between rows. I’ll get some pictures taken in the next couple of days and share them with y’all.
One method I have seen used in the past for problem weed areas is successive tillings.
Do a thorough tilling of an area, and rake up as much of the plant material as you can, then wait a day or two (but keep a close eye on it). Once you see the remaining plant-bits start to re-grow, till it again quite thoroughly (rake again if it seems prudent). Rinse and repeat several times over successive days.
Yes it’s a lot of work but the idea is to force the remaining plant-bits to use up their internal stores of energy trying to regrow, without letting them establish any decent root structure to continue their efforts before you chop them up again.
After maybe three or four follow-up tillings, any remaining hold-outs should be weak enough to succumb to a good mulching….or at least be few enough to snipe with minimal effort.
(and don’t forget your cuke trellises this year! 😉 )
Thanks buddy, I’ve crossed the Rubicon on the weed problem and am in the midst of installing the weed block. Some small challenge with where to burn the holes (for plants aligning to drip tape spacing) , but planning the entire garden out is one of the joys! I’m planning on planting the cucs on an arbor made by arching the concrete mesh. I’ll be able to walk through/under the plants when complete. Hope your holiday’s are working out for you, Garry