Weeds and rocks

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Seams like all I get most is weeds and rocks. What do I do to get rid of the weeds. I have been using weed and feed for a few years now and I still grow weeds better then anything else. What do I do to get rid of the weeds? Other gardens in the area never has weeds. And let me tell you about the rocks. I can take a kids red wagon of rocks out and till and there is more then there was before. Then never seam to stop popping up. How deep do you guys till? I have an old 70's model troybilt tiller and it is set to go as deep as it will go but it don't seam to go that deep.
 
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Seams like all I get most is weeds and rocks. What do I do to get rid of the weeds. I have been using weed and feed for a few years now and I still grow weeds better then anything else. What do I do to get rid of the weeds? Other gardens in the area never has weeds. And let me tell you about the rocks. I can take a kids red wagon of rocks out and till and there is more then there was before. Then never seam to stop popping up. How deep do you guys till? I have an old 70's model troybilt tiller and it is set to go as deep as it will go but it don't seam to go that deep.
Scotts Weed and Feed is the absolute worst thing you could ever use. As for the rocks are they getting smaller. As you take out rocks the soil filters down it exposes more rocks. Rocks aren't bad per se. They can and mostly do add minerals. But using chemical weed and feed destroys organic matter needed for plant nutrition
 
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Welcome to the forum
you are going to have to pick out all the rocks and one day they will almost be gone .
I dont think twice about spraying roundup to get rid of a weed
 
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Pick as small section of garden at a time developing a nice bed with compost and mulch after you have throughly weeded. If you are lazy like me and have access to cardboard lay out the cardboard over the soil in multiple layers. The cardboard will smoother most weeds, so weeding is taken care of. I cover the cardboard with mulch so it looks neater. After about three months (with moisture) the cardboard begins to break down and you can cut holes in which to plant. I have heard that this is method needs some staking if you live in a really windy region.

If you have rocky soil Chuck is right, the rocks will always migrate skyward and show themselves after every rain. You might want to start collecting them if you have a lot for an edging or small fencing project.
 
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I wish I could offer advice. I sit on a pile of ugly red clay.

I do hope someone comes up with a way to drag those rocks away.

Have a look at one of zigs posts about building a fence out of rocks.

It is too cool,

keyword rubble
 
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Seams like all I get most is weeds and rocks. And let me tell you about the rocks. I can take a kids red wagon of rocks out and till and there is more then there was before. Then never seam to stop popping up. How deep do you guys till? I have an old 70's model troybilt tiller and it is set to go as deep as it will go but it don't seam to go that deep.

Hi and welcome - as someone who gardens on the side of a mountain with incredibly rocky terrain - I have to say that as rocks are natural phenomena of this kind of terrain - that in all honesty whatever you do - there is absolutely no way that you will ever stop the rocks from appearing each time it rains or you till.

However don't let that deter you - as although it is impossible to remove all the rocks - it is very possible to grow absolutely anything you want in terrain like this - providing you choose plants that are suited to those conditions - in fact as I grow all my own fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts very successfully in ground like this - as well as many ornamentals too - this may help

Only till deeply once a year - as that way you only have to remove the very big rocks once and of course it avoids the possibility of having to replace the tiller blades on a regular basis

Incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil on at least a yearly basis - as well as a good covering of imported top soil - the latter of which - although generally only necessary every 2 to 3 years may need to be done more frequently if you live in an area where erosion is a problem

and of course as has already been suggested - you can make use of the rocks too - in fact I love them as instead of having to buy them - I get them for free and have enhanced many parts of my garden by using them for building walls, banks, benches etc - they're great for making natural looking streams and water features too :)
 
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The neighbor said to use 12-12-12 fertilizer but how much do I use. The garden is 40' x 100 and we make 6 or 7 rows the length of the garden. First row is on cattle panels for green beans and cucumbers. Been thinking about putting in another row of panels for more climbers.
 
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The neighbor said to use 12-12-12 fertilizer but how much do I use. The garden is 40' x 100 and we make 6 or 7 rows the length of the garden. First row is on cattle panels for green beans and cucumbers. Been thinking about putting in another row of panels for more climbers.
When using chemicals, and that is what 12-12-12 is, is to follow the directions on the bag. It will tell you how many pounds per 1000 sq ft. to apply. You can damage your plants by using too much. Chemicals are NOT forgiving, unlike organics are. There are many great commercially made organic fertilizers readily available that are safe and effective where you don't have to worry about using too much. Organic fertilizers do not burn up the organic materials in your soil like the chemicals do. Organics do not leave salt residues in the soil like chemicals do either. Organics add to the soil, actually feed the soil and the microbial life found there, just the opposite of chemicals
 
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Hi and welcome - as someone who gardens on the side of a mountain with incredibly rocky terrain - I have to say that as rocks are natural phenomena of this kind of terrain - that in all honesty whatever you do - there is absolutely no way that you will ever stop the rocks from appearing each time it rains or you till.

However don't let that deter you - as although it is impossible to remove all the rocks - it is very possible to grow absolutely anything you want in terrain like this - providing you choose plants that are suited to those conditions - in fact as I grow all my own fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts very successfully in ground like this - as well as many ornamentals too - this may help

Only till deeply once a year - as that way you only have to remove the very big rocks once and of course it avoids the possibility of having to replace the tiller blades on a regular basis

Incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil on at least a yearly basis - as well as a good covering of imported top soil - the latter of which - although generally only necessary every 2 to 3 years may need to be done more frequently if you live in an area where erosion is a problem

and of course as has already been suggested - you can make use of the rocks too - in fact I love them as instead of having to buy them - I get them for free and have enhanced many parts of my garden by using them for building walls, banks, benches etc - they're great for making natural looking streams and water features too :)


We pay big money for stones and rocks and boulders in my neck of the woods. Wish I was your neighbour - I'd be delighted to poach your piles!
 
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It may be too late, if you've already prepared the garden beds, but I found that using raised beds was a great way to not have to deal with weeds, or rocks in this case. If you make the beds deep enough, and put down a good layer of newspaper or other "barrier", the weeds won't come up through them. Also, if you make the beds narrow enough, you don't have to walk through them, therefore the soil doesn't compact and you won't have to till every season. You will still get a few weeds, from seeds that are distributed through wind or the occasional bird, but they are mostly on the surface and very easy to pull. I've also found it makes adding amendments to the soil easy - because the soil is loose you can actually "mix" them in using a trowel.

We made beds that were about 12" high and 4-5' wide, which was a good width as long as you could get on both sides of it. The bed we put up against the house was only about 2.5' wide. We brought in good, rich top soil. Then added a thin layer of mulch. We were able to do the entire bed, from start to finish, in a week-end with no back-breaking work - like tilling, pulling weeds or dealing with rocks.
 
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We pay big money for stones and rocks and boulders in my neck of the woods. Wish I was your neighbour - I'd be delighted to poach your piles!


Oh you wouldn't have to poach them - as I would happily let you have them for free - in fact I would probably even offer you a drink of your choice and maybe even two if you wanted lots of them - as you would be saving me from removing them myself - particularly as I seem to have a never ending supply of them - in all shapes and sizes too :D
 
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Oh you wouldn't have to poach them - as I would happily let you have them for free - in fact I would probably even offer you a drink of your choice and maybe even two if you wanted lots of them - as you would be saving me from removing them myself - particularly as I seem to have a never ending supply of them - in all shapes and sizes too :D
Well if I took a drink, I wouldn't be able to sort the pretty rocks from the ugly ones...
 

zigs

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Rubble.....

DSCN0623.JPG


Rearranged :)
DSCN0655.JPG


Radically :D
DSCN0652.JPG
 

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