Weed Control

[alamo5000]

I did have another idea as well...or combination of ideas...

Maybe get some big PVC pipe and cut it about a foot long... plant all my plants then put it over the plants and tap it into the ground so the top of the pipe is poking out of the ground 6 or 8 inches high.

In a month or two when the weeds get thick I can weed eat and not worry about hitting a plant that I want.

Alamo,

While I don't recommend it, I sometimes plant two seedlings in the same hole in order to get two main stems. I sometimes plant two plants about six inches apart for different reasons. They usually perform well, but I think the best spacing is between 15" and 24". For me, it depends on the habit of the plants. Some varieties get very large and require more space while others remain more compact and require less space. If your climate is humid, you will need wider spacing to promote air movement. In a dry climate, less space is needed.

Ted

[Goldie]

Alamo,
If this is a new garden that was previously sod, Kath has a very good point. It can be really difficult to garden a previously sod/lawn spot. You might consider solarizing the soil (to kill weed seeds) as well as having the soil tested. I hope someone can chime in and explain the details, but the basic idea is to cover your soil with clear plastic that heats the soil and kills the weed seeds.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by alamo5000

I did have another idea as well...or combination of ideas...

Maybe get some big PVC pipe and cut it about a foot long... plant all my plants then put it over the plants and tap it into the ground so the top of the pipe is poking out of the ground 6 or 8 inches high.

In a month or two when the weeds get thick I can weed eat and not worry about hitting a plant that I want.

That is a good idea but as you well know all of those weeds will compete with the plants for moisture and nutrients and the weeds always win.
Worth

[RinTinTin]

You always want to weed-eat before they begin to go to seed regardless of technique.

Alamo,

A friend in England was given a new allotment. They have a grass/weed that is very difficult to control called " horse tail". I don't know what it is, but it apparently takes over gardens. He mowed the allotment and then placed tarps over the areas he would grow in. He left the tarps weighted with rocks for a full year to kill the horse tail. He then tilled the plots and planted the second year. You could do the same thing by covering some areas while you plant other areas. Move the covers back and forth each year.

Ted

[alamo5000]

Originally Posted by tedln

Alamo,

A friend in England was given a new allotment. They have a grass/weed that is very difficult to control called " horse tail". I don't know what it is, but it apparently takes over gardens. He mowed the allotment and then placed tarps over the areas he would grow in. He left the tarps weighted with rocks for a full year to kill the horse tail. He then tilled the plots and planted the second year. You could do the same thing by covering some areas while you plant other areas. Move the covers back and forth each year.

Ted

Lets put it this way... where I live the weeds are vicious. If its not covered and stays covered it won't last long.

We had a bonfire, literally, with 20 foot flames in the air...it burned for hours. When we were done it was barren dirt and charred ground.

2 months later it was covered with weeds again.

It happens because while, yes you kill the weeds directly under the thing, but just feet away it there are more weeds left to re-seed any area you may treat.

Long story short, I need some kind of barrier on the ground.

[prizebull]

I go with the layers of cardboard and newspaper that I collect through out the year and put a thick layer of hay down on top.I like this setup because it works for me and is free(we grow our own hay). But I found that I don't need to till the ground anymore.I put fresh manure on top in the fall,come spring I put newspaper/cardboard down with hay on top and then plant what I started.I only need to pull a few weeds during the season.
Gene

[RinTinTin]

If you need huge amounts of cardboard, visit your local appliance store.
The boxes they ship stoves, refrigerators, washer/dryers in will cover ground quickly, and they would probably be glad to have you haul them away.

[JackE]

Alamo - I assume you are an organic gardener. If not, I can help you. Even if you are, you can still use plastic mulch - the only barrier I've found that works, but very hard to lay if you don't have a tractor and mulch-layer/hiller implement.

[Worth1]

Alamo could you tell us what kind of weeds you have, inquiring minds would like to know, pardon the pun.
I need to know so I might be able to help.

worth

[JackE]

At least tell us if it's primarily grasses or broad leaf weeds. If it's all noxious grasses, I can solve your problem easily and fairly cheaply. Broad leaf are a little more complicated -- and more costly (don't get the Roundup or any of its glyphosate generics anywhere NEAR your tomatoes - not even pathways or edges!)

Jack

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by JackE

At least tell us if it's primarily grasses or broad leaf weeds. If it's all noxious grasses, I can solve your problem easily and fairly cheaply. Broad leaf are a little more complicated -- and more costly (don't get the Roundup or any of its glyphosate generics anywhere NEAR your tomatoes - not even pathways or edges!)

Jack

You can dilute Round Up and use a paint roller to apply on fresh cut grass.

worth

[JackE]

Unless it raiins and the RU soaks into the soil, or you apply a little too much and it contacts the shallow roots. It's bad news around toms - I could tell you horror stories but it's too embarrssing!

Oh well, I'll come clean. Once, in my ignorance, I ran glyphosate down the pathways, fully shielded spray, no foliage contact, and killed a whole crop. When I contacted the plant pathology people at A&M, I learned that gly is an absolute no-no around tomatoes.

There are two post-emergent herbicides that kill grasses selectively and approved for toms. They can both be sprayed over the top without damage. One is Arrow (clethodim) which we use. The other, which is available in a small retail packages under various brand labels, is Poast (sethoxydim). You have to know what you're doing and follow the label exactly to the letter.

There are also a number of pre-emergents for toms, but they present big problems for small growers. We're are not going to use them anymore - only for big, monoculture growers.

Instead of a paint roller, you can also apply herbicides with the tractor sprayer and a "wiper" rig (never used one, but I saw one working in So Texas spinach field) - but in NO case glyphosate around toms.

Jack

[Worth1]

Jacke I cant even think about round up or my tomatoes will start to croak.

Worth