Reduce weeds before renovating garden?

[Mabo]

Hi all,

Green-as-grass gardener here, and new to this forum. Hope someone can help me out! I just bought my first house, of which the garden has been neglected for the past years. I'm looking to turn it into something nice, but I've already noticed that any open (non-paved) soil seems saturated with weeds and its seeds. I can hoe and weed until I'm blue in the face, but a week later a fresh green carpet will have sprouted up. Left unattended it takes over everything.


The garden is now fallow. My question: is there anything I can do now, before I plant the new garden, to minimize this problem in the future? I'd prefer not to replace 12" top soil over the whole garden if there's another resort.

Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

Hi all,

Green-as-grass gardener here, and new to this forum. Hope someone can help me out! I just bought my first house, of which the garden has been neglected for the past years. I'm looking to turn it into something nice, but I've already noticed that any open (non-paved) soil seems saturated with weeds and its seeds. I can hoe and weed until I'm blue in the face, but a week later a fresh green carpet will have sprouted up. Left unattended it takes over everything.
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The garden is now fallow. My question: is there anything I can do now, before I plant the new garden, to minimize this problem in the future? I'd prefer not to replace 12" top soil over the whole garden if there's another resort.

Thanks!

It is a little late in the year but there are two solutions to eradication of your jungle. You can use chemical herbicides or you can mow everything down and solarize it. Solarization works best in the summer. I don't recommend the chemicals herbicides like Roundup and I think they are banned there anyway so solarization is the only option. To solarize you cut the weeds as low as possible. Then you cover the entire area with either black or clear plastic, the same stuff building contractors use underneath concrete slabs.. Before you cover it is very important to water the area well. Leave the plastic on for at least 2 months. I wouldn't do this until spring at the earliest. It works best when sunny and hot outside, but it does work. So to answer your question, no, I don't think there is anything you can do now to ensure a garden next spring

 

[Mabo]

Thanks Chuck, much appreciated.
Are the any other actions I could take this autumn in preparation for the work after solarizing next year?
I had planned to take a week off work for garden stuff in October. If all else is on hold until after solarizing, it may not be the best investment of my time after all

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck, much appreciated.
Are the any other actions I could take this autumn in preparation for the work after solarizing next year?
I had planned to take a week off work for garden stuff in October. If all else is on hold until after solarizing, it may not be the best investment of my time after all

You could mow it to keep it from going to seed, rake it all up and start a compost pile.

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Welcome to the forum @Mabo . Definitely keep it trimmed to stop seed heads forming , that get set for battle next spring.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Turn the present growth under, plant a winter cover crop and turn it under next spring enough in advance of garden planting for the cover crop to compost.

 

[Chuck]

Turn the present growth under, plant a winter cover crop and turn it under next spring enough in advance of garden planting for the cover crop to compost.

And then next planting time he will have more weeds coming up than he does now. Tilling weeds under only leads to more weeds. He must kill the weeds seed, both old and new seeds and proper solarization does this.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

You are assuming solarization lasts forever. Ever hear of a garden hoe or a tiller. Learn what they are, use them frequently or quit gardening.

 

[Becky]

You are assuming solarization lasts forever. Ever hear of a garden hoe or a tiller. Learn what they are, use them frequently or quit gardening.

This is a friendly forum and we are all here to learn from each other. Condescension and rudeness have no place here

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Just thought someone could learn some gardening pointers from from an old man but I guess not. Bye Bye and please remove my name from the membership roster.

 

[Mabo]

Thanks all for your comments!
Would there be any merit to mulching in the autumn-spring period at all?
Not with plastic, but perhaps compost or some other enriching substance. I understand that a 3-6" layer of compost will not only enrich the soil but also discourage further weeds from growing by blocking light.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks all for your comments!
Would there be any merit to mulching in the autumn-spring period at all?
Not with plastic, but perhaps compost or some other enriching substance. I understand that a 3-6" layer of compost will not only enrich the soil but also discourage further weeds from growing by blocking light.

In the winter which will soon arrive all of the weeds which are there now will either die or their leaves will turn brown. Then in the spring they will come back, plus more of them when this years seeds germinate. In the mean time the winter weeds will sprout and grow until it gets to hot for them. Mulching is always a good and helpful thing but all it will do now is slow the growth of the winter weeds and then you will either have to remove the mulch or till it under next spring. If you solarize over the mulch the solarization will not be as effective because the mulch will keep the soil cooler and restrict weed seed germination. This will help the soil but won't do much about the weed problem. If it were me all I would do until spring is to keep the area mowed. This will eliminate new seeds, both hot weather and cold weather. Then in the spring solarize. This will kill most of all the remaining seeds. After this is done is the time to till and make your garden. You will never have a completely weed free garden. No one does, but, it is easy to maintain if you start out correctly.

 

[Mabo]

Thanks again for your great advice Chuck. Like you say, I don't expect to have a weed-free garden. Just don't want to start out at a disadvantage.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks again for your great advice Chuck. Like you say, I don't expect to have a weed-free garden. Just don't want to start out at a disadvantage.

Just take your time and do it right the first time. It will save you untold hours of labor in the future.

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Brilliant advice @Chuck, you explain things so well