small garden to a 1/3 of an acre - looking for advice

[Ariel301]

I use straw AFTER my ducks have rooted through it to eat any seeds as well as poop all over it for some organic fertilizer.

That's my system too. I don't buy straw because it is the same price as hay here. So I feed the hay to the goats, they toss everything that doesn't meet their standards onto the ground. I rake that up and put it in the nest boxes for the chickens and ducks, and when it gets dirty enough to change, it goes onto the garden as mulch.


Heavy mulching will help keep weeds down. Don't mulch with bermuda grass hay though, because it is always full of seeds, and will take over your garden. There's a reason they use bermuda on golf courses, I learned the hard way...it's very fast growing and hard to kill. Heavy mulch will also help build up your soil nutrients and reduce the amount of water you need to use.

That's going to be a big garden, I am jealous!

 

[seedcorn]

All you need is enough mulch to shade the ground. If sun doesn't hit the ground, very few weeds will come up in the home garden. Those that do, will be tall and easy to pull.

Don't work the mulch into the soil until after you are done as it'll tie up the nitrogen.

 

[momofdrew]

I use newspapers[just the black print not color] and brown paper grocery bags then a layer of straw as a mulch...

 

[ryan112ryan]

I was thinking of trying to find some moving boxes from craigslist for free, I will just have to peel or cut out the tape. top with hay

 

[lesa]

Sure cardboard will work- it is an ingredient in the lasagna type gardening... I've been known to use carpet along the edges to keep the weeds down.