Out of control thistles

[Mamarichey]

I recently moved into a new house and the thistles are out of control. I want to use the garden area next spring and am very wary of using herbicides that may impact planting next spring. Any ideas to get rid of these things would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Perki]

Are you using the ground for veg or other food crops ? I can see you getting thistles for years to come with the amount of seed heads on them.

 

[Mike Allen]

I would burn them, as and where they stand. Some seed will survive, but most will be destroyed. Then concentrate on digging out the roots.

 

[Mamarichey]

I was hoping to use the garden area to plant a vegetable garden, hence the reason not wanting to use harsh chemicals.

 

[Mamarichey]

I don't think I can burn them as they are up against a garage and a fence.. would cutting them down and using a rototiller work?

 

[Mike Allen]

OK. Cut them down and the burn them. Hells bells. You need to prevent the seed heads flying. No offence mate, but use your head.

 

[Tetters]

There is no easy way to deal with this at this stage. I don't use chemicals on my patch unless there is a compelling reason. This in my opinion is that compelling reason.
Cut them down now and bag them in black bags for disposal. Allow the plants to start growing again, wait for a dry day and spray them with glysophate - it will take at least two weeks for the new leaves to yellow and will kill the plants that are there. There will be new thistles in the spring - this cannot be avoided, as many seeds will already have taken hold. That will be the time to keep on religiously digging them out. Always be on the watch and persist with the constant weeding. Never allow them to make new seed heads.
There will be no instant cure, so accept that.
Your ground will be safe to use next year as long as you keep on working it. You can then use it for vegetables or anything else.

A rototiller is not a good idea. You need to use a digging fork and when weeding finger and thumb work best - the joy of gardening....
If I were you I would put some energy into this now - the longer you leave it, the worse it will get.

The patch is not that big. When I started on a similar problem a few years ago I managed to tame 4 acres!

I'm afraid that one years weeds means seven years weeds - you'd better get cracking

By the way.... I nearly forgot, a big welcome to the forum @Mamarichey - keep us updated won't you, I for one will be looking forward to seeing the transformation

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

No need for panic or drama.

Scythe the plants down and create a separate compost pile just for them. Use this compost for mulching shrubs and trees, not the vegetable garden. Purchase a large amount of compost or fine forest product soil amendment. Add a thick layer of compost/amendment and then rototill or otherwise turn under the entire vegetable garden. Follow this with another layer of Compost that will serve as a Winter mulch. That is all to be done in the garden until Spring planting.

In Spring, add another thinner layer of compost mulch and plant your garden with seeds and starts.
Will weeds come up? Of course, and some of them will even be thistles. Weed all exposed green weeds, as you would do anyway. Some may need to be pulled but many can be just hoed or cut at ground level. Also continue to mulch the garden generously. Mulch will suppress weeds, conserve water, and enrich the soil.

With time, weed density will abate somewhat, but you will always have some weeds to weed or mulch. Welcome to vegetable gardening.

At the end of the first season, put the garden 'to bed' similar to the way way you did before, except either don't rototil, or scatter seed of a Winter cover crop (likely Rye, Secale cereale) if you do. This cover crop will be turned under a few weeks before Spring planting.