Tip for Keeping Weeds out of the Garden

[ctack2]

I just bought 5 white $1 shower curtain liners and am going to cut them the width of my walkways. I hope they kill the weeds under them until I get enough newspapers and cardboard to put there. Do you think I wasted my money? Because of hand and shoulder problems, I just can't get out there with tools and weed.
And next year I hope to have some raised beds up and growing. What do you all use as a growing medium in your raised beds?
Have a great weekend.
Carol B

[brchbell]

Hi Carol! To make raised beds use cinder blocks or untreated lumber. I highly recommend "The All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. You can check out his book at most public libraries. He explains how to make raised beds. He uses 4' X 4' beds. I use 4' X 16" beds. 16' long makes it so I can use cattle panels to support plants I want to grow vertically. It also makes easier for me to grow whole beds of one thing to process for winter use by my family. I have several beds growing now that should all be ready to process the 1st week in July. My extended family is coming to visit and help us can so they can learn about growing their own food and how to store it. I use a mixture of rice hulls (Mel uses vermiculite), compost and peat moss in equal amounts mixed together to fill the beds. After I harvest I add 1 scoop of compost for every 1 foot of garden soil and mix it in to replace whats been used.

Hope you have a great holiday weekend! Yes the white shower curtains should kill off the weeds until you get cardboard/newspaper down. I used heavy black plastic in my aisles covered with mulch.

Cherlynn
NW MO

[crankymae]

Originally Posted by semmel88

He there is Companion Gardening and some of those so called weeds attract helpful insects or distract pests. I always let some thistle grow in my garden and the finches thank me everyyear when they eat the seeds. Goldenrod is so beautiful too. Sorry, those weedless garden with perfectly trimmed lawns give me the shivers, that look cleaner then some people's living room. at least your guys are using newspaper and not some chemical spray bottle.

I'm with you on the perfect lawns and gardens. Besides acting as decoys for some nasty bugs, alot of those weeds are edible. Most famous, of course, is the dandelion. Burdock, chicory, sheeps sorrel, wild cress, purslane(can even be pickled), even violets. Google wild edible plants-you'll be surprised at what's out there. Just don't spray if you are going to eat

Also, when the rest of the neighborhood's grass is burned out in the summer, mine is still green. Weeds hold up in drought and when kept cut, look fine. We are all on wells and can't take the chance of lawn watering. My lawn philosophy is, if it's green, leave it alone.

[FreebieQueen]

Important Moderator Note Congratulations! The post, Tip for Keeping Weeds out of the Garden , was nominated for Topic of the Week and Won! Candace has just received 25,000 Experience Points to spend in our Experience Shop. Thank you for your participation in the forums and adding content that our members can appreciate and value. We look forward to reading more of your posts.