weed control over winter

[wiswash]

Hi, thiis has been my first year gardening. When I tilled up the garden last spring the weeds just kept right on growing as if nothing happened. So this fall I am mulching the garden with 6 inches of grass clippings and tree leaves (ash and maple) and I probably wont uncover it until a couple days before planting in mid may. Does this sound like a good plan or is there abetter solution to contolling weeds. Do I need to roto till the garden next spring again or just loosen the soil and plant the seeds. Mostly i grow carrots, peas, green beans. Thanks for the advice.

 

[bid]

Hi wiswash and

What kinds of weeds are you having the most problems with? annual or perennial?

I would probably get out there with a hoe or spade fork and try and remove as many weeds as I could before covering with the mulch this fall. If you own a tiller I might even go ahead and give the garden area a shallow pass over before mulching.

Some folks roto till every year and others almost never. I think a lot of that depends on what your soil composition is like and what you have always done. A tiller sure does make things easier 'tho.
Good luck!

 

[wiswash]

mostly crab grass, quack grass and fox tail. Ive been using a potatoe fork, in my spare time, to loosen and dig up where the heavy growth is. Then, yeah, putting down the mulch afterwards.

 

[lesa]

Welcome! Welcome! It would help if we knew what zone you were in... Here in zone 4, the snow does a pretty good job of killing the weeds (and everything else!) Though, I am always surprised that some weeds are fine when the snow melts and raring to go! I used 4 inches of straw mulch along the borders of my garden this year, and was very happy with the amount of weeds it kept down. If a few grew, they were very easy to pull. Good luck!

 

[wifezilla]

I mulch mulch mulch. Tilling just means a bind weed invasion so I don't do it anymore. All the poopy duck straw I put on the beds in the winter really makes for healthy plants in the summer. My tomato bed this year went NUTS!!!

 

[bills]

If you are pulling the weeds, "before they have gone to seed", then applying the mulch you should be in great shape. Otherwise the mulch will actually protect the weed seed from freezing, and it will be worse next spring..

You should turn the soil over in the early spring, with a shovel, and let that mulch have a chance to compost further. Then a simple light hoeing just prior to planting the seed to loosen/aerate the soil.

The last few years there has been some controversy over deep rotor- tilling a garden. Some experts say it is bad to do this, as it can upset the healthy balance in the soil.

Here's some articles that discusses rotor- tilling and why you shouldn't do it.

http://www.organicherbgardenonline....-tilling-bad-for-your-organic-garden-soil-18/

http://www.plantea.com/no-tilling.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/tilling-your-garden-a-bad-idea-a56051

 

[wiswash]

Certainly some great points there bills. Years ago working on the farm we plowed every year, sometimes twice a year. then we disced 1-3 times and even ran a "drag" over the field, all before putting in seed. Now I notice farmers going from harvest to planting with out even turning the soil just once. If nothing else they sure save a lot of fuel.