Just sprayed round up on all the garden area. Do you do this?

[curly_kate]

I don't use roundup, except on poison ivy (sooooo allergic!!). However, I have 2 very green friends who have told me that, if you are going to use an herbicide, roundup is not *that* bad. It stays on the plant that you spray it on, and does not leach into the soil. One of the friend works for an environmental organization that converts land back to native plants. Their program involves spraying land with roundup and replanting with native plants.

I have heard that it can be detrimental to bees, so you should never spray it (or any other pesticides/herbicides/etc) during the day when they are active.

 

[silkiechicken]

I know a few professors who use round up every spring on their gardens. I don't because it costs so much. The active ingredient breaks down pretty quick.

 

[wifezilla]

Years ago I tried round up. It didn't work and the weeds I had in following years were WORSE!! Instead of round up, a weed torch would be better. Gets rid of the weeds without potential health issues or giving money to Monsanto (who I think is actually a division of Wolfram and Hart !).

 

[journey11]

Dave, I've not used it in the garden, but like Curly-Kate said, for poison ivy and messes like that.

You might want to try using the black fabric stuff on some of your rows like the commercial guys use on tomatoes, peppers and such. It will keep the weeds down and once it's set results in no other maintenance for you until it's time to take it up at the end of the season.

If you keep your rows wide enough to run the tiller down the path lightly (not so deep), that's a quick, easy way to knock back the weeds. Do it while they're still tiny and do it as often as needed. (Don't know if you can run the tiller in your health, but maybe you can get a friend or relative to do it for you, or use a small enough tiller that your wife can handle.)

Mulching is great for the soil and does the job. It's a little work at first, but will save you time and frustration later. I use old, spent hay that my horse wastes. (Hay that is harvested timely and at it's peak will have little to no weeds in it, ideally.) Grass clippings, leaves, straw...whatever you've got. Some things will need to have wet newspaper put down under them first. I go to the recycle center and get old papers there. Some people will use cardboard too.

Sounds like you are in a good area to buy locally grown produce by the bushel. For some crops, that might be a better option for you if your main goal is to save some money and feed your family. Does your wife like to can and freeze things to put up for the winter? Sometimes I go over to Ohio and buy tomatoes, peppers, etc. to can if my garden didn't produce enough.

 

[dave27889]

Thanks a lot for the last several post. They are a lot more friendlrier than some of the others. Sometimes we have to do whatever it takes to get things done. I have never smoked and I am out of a family of 7 kids. I was in great shape until I fell off a machine that I was working on. I was up a story and a half. I fell and hit the concrete and a metal bar right across the l4 l5 vertebrae. That was 14 years ago and 7 major back operations. The heart attacks came from not being able to get around much and diabeties are on both sides of the family. The health issues aside I do pretty good but using a tiller is out of the question for now anyway. The back is more stable now but I still have 2 more blown disc above where they fused me. I feel a lot better these days and working in the Garden just brings life into me. I love being outside and raising veggies,fruit and poultry mean the world to me. It gives me worth and makes me feel like I am really being useful. My wife is the greatest and the kids are wonderful but being with the poultry and working in the earth are not for them. They have done it and they know how to do it but they rather buy it in the store but they love the fresh taste of what we raise. Thanks for the great tips and please keep bringing the up they are really helpful. I am making the rows wide enough to use my riding mower to cut the big path that we have every 4th row. The man doing the tilling is discing both ways across the garden and his disc go down deep. I have put what compost I have in the garden and friends have brought a little compost they have . Paula just came home an hour ago and said that she sold a little area for a friend to plant some stuff and the friend said they would bring their tiller and do the weed tilling for the trade of the space for the tilling. Things just got a lot better. Take care and please let me know of any good Ideas to use. I am staking everything I can and running anything that can go up on wire or twine up. Later folks.

 

[vfem]

Depending on where you live, because you are in NC, we do have a few farms and places around here that still burn before planting. Its the main choice. The 2 farms near me chose burning over roundup because the burned weeds tilled into the soil actually fertilize until an herbicide who's only job is to kill the weeds.

Its also the popular choice for people replanting large lawns by burning at the end of winter months for a greener lawn and new planting in the spring. You can call your extension office about it if you'd like. They may be able to tell you if its legal in your area.

 

[journey11]

Paula just came home an hour ago and said that she sold a little area for a friend to plant some stuff and the friend said they would bring their tiller and do the weed tilling for the trade of the space for the tilling. Things just got a lot better.

That's great! Nothing more satisfying than a good barter.

My dad has Parkinsons and is much the same boat as you. He loves to get out in his garden too. He'll tuck tomato plants, lettuce, onions, etc. in just about anywhere he can find, like in the flowerbeds. He's got one small raised bed that has worked out nicely for him and a couple giant planters he puts tomatoes in. His biggest project every year is growing a large plot of potatoes and he does most of that with his tractor. I offer my help (for free, but he won't hear of it) and get a few 5-gal buckets of potatoes out of the deal.

And

 

[dipence71]

Here is my thoughts: DO what YOU have to do to make yourself happy and healthy. Things happen and we cannot control any of it.

I have a HUGE garden every year and a coupleyrs ago while on vacation, I wrecked my motorcycle and had a dislocated shoulder and major road rash all down my left arm. I tried my best to do my garden one handed but it got away from my and DH suggested roundup, I cringed but knew I had no choice but to use it or completely loose all my veggies. I am still alive LOL and gardening. No, I didn't use round up last year but if I had to choose between using it or not having a garden at all I choose gardening.
So with a piece of plywood and a bottle of round up we tackled the garden weeds. The garden is more than just veggies, it is about relaxing and playing in the dirt.

:tools :watering :mow:mow

 

[dave27889]

We have been under a burning ban for the past 2 weeks here in Eastern NC. We have had several bad fires already and we have had the crazies out also. 5 fires last week were by arson. It has been windy here and the humidity has been really low. I have had a hard time inside the house just trying to keep the humidity right in my incubators. Thank the Lord it is raining right now and I even heard thunder 5 times in the last couple of minutes ago. It has rained pretty well the last hour. I wonder if I should burn the area off if they raise the burning ban? The roundup has been on for 3 days tomorrow. Let me know if you think I should do that. My house garden hose reaches the whole garden so it should not get out of had and the area has large cleaned out ditches all around the property. The wind is suppose to drop starting Wednesday. I will look into the burning ban.
The person from Fruquay I love your area. Thought about moving there a few years ago. I bought a white Chow Chow from up there and loved that dog like it was one of my kids. She died 7 years ago and she was the sweetest dog I ever had. Not a bad thing about her. We had 1 litter of puppies off her. We mated her with another white Chow Chow and had alitter of 7 puppies all white. The bad thing in a way was everyone had their dog either spayed or nutered so we could not find one of her puppies to get another white Chow Chow. We tried to find the man we bought Roxie from but he had moved. Oh well life goes on. Thanks evryone and I will check into the burning ban.

 

[seedcorn]

One of the problems w/burning is that you lose the carbons in the plants......up in smoke.

FYI, the by-product of glysophate will be in the ground. It will have been neutrilized so it will not affect anything you plant. The good news is all the nutrients that the weeds had digested will also still be in the ground. Weeds are nutrient hogs so don't just throw them away or burn them.

Dave, as we all know, life is about choices we have to make. If using glysophate is your worst choice, you have no bad choices. good luck w/garden.