Hi, all, I'm not going to repost Jim's excellent question on weed control (North Carolina has the same problem this year)and the excellent replies by Sharon (sorry about your paperboy, what a shame!), Libby, Jon and Scolli, since they've already been posted. My two cents worth is -
I like and use newspaper as a weed block (though I avoid colored ink and absolutely avoid glossy paper with photos. 'Soy-based ink' can be as little as 5% soy, but black and white is probably OK) I don't use tape, and agree with Libby on that 100%. And I don't presoak. I've learned that it takes a whole section (ie, the local section, the sports section) to cover. I take the whole section, lay it down, then overlap the next section over it. This means 12 plus 'sheets' or thicknesses covering the soil. I pile a little mulch (generally free wood chips from tree services) on the sheets as I go. That holds them. Work away from the wind, so that the sections go like this \\\\\ <- wind otherwise the paper blows everywhere. (I can show you this at Chicago, if you're coming) Then, once I get the newspaper in place, I cover the whole thing with mulch, 3-6 inches deep. This can work as a team effort, with a crew to pull colored ad sections, a crew to lay down paper, and a crew to handle mulch. Do I do this universally? No. The places that have worked best for me are on paths, between vegetable beds, along borders and under trees where I'm preparing a natural area where a lawn currently grows. It does work, and has even controlled bermudagrass. After 6 months, there is a remarkable change in the soil. But I don't much like it in the vegetable beds themselves, since it interferes with water and air infiltration. There I mulch and hand weed, just as mentioned. And use classic Alan Chadwick tight spacing and intensive soil prep. I also agree that mulch alone can solve lots of weed problems, though you don't want to go too deep with mulch around shrubs and trees. You do have to keep after the mulch, though - weeds will grow through bark or chips, straw automatically gives grass seedlings, bermuda will grow over mulch... Weeds are 'guardians of the soil', and a weed cover is better than bare soil in terms of soil and water conservation. The trick, in my opinion, is management. One easy way to manage weeds is to mow them. That's usually pretty easy to arrange. Tall weeds attract attention, mowed ones don't. You can smother weeds by out-competing them. In the beds, you can grow a 'cover crop'. My favorites in the summer time (should work for you in Alabama, too) are blackeyed peas and buckwheat. When you have a bed come open, sow these crops - I even pop them in holes (I just had a tomato die of some kind of wilt, so the peas go in today). In the fall, I like crimson clover or annual rye. Dig these into the soil after they have grown a bit - they will outcompete the weeds (like close spacing does) and then enrich your soil. You can also plant wildflowers like blackeyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta 'Goldstrum' is easy as pie and works great) to occupy fence and front areas, giving you flowers instead of weeds. Last thought on weed management. Get 'em before they set seed, at all costs. That will help with many problems. Remember that many weeds thrive in disturbed soil, so be thoughtful when doing tillage - do we really need to rototill the entire garden each year??? If you have weedseed (or weeds that grow from underground stems or bulbs - a huge problem), either compost them in a 'real' pile that generates high temperatures for a week or more, or keep them out of the pile. I'd burn them or bury them deeply, if possible. Fresh young weeds that reproduce by seed are actually good for enriching soil, since some accumulate nutrients - but that's not true for bermudagrass, nutsedge or bindweed. About plastic and 'landscape fabric', it's not for me. My experience is just like Sharon's, it is fine the first year then it begins to pop up in ugly shreds and there is no getting rid of it. Heaven help you if you want to remove it! I do use clear plastic to solarize soil, but that's another post... I have also used carpet and cardboard on paths. Actually, refrigerator boxes are pretty easy to set in place, and don't blow around. Good luck, hope to see a bunch of you in Chicago - should we have a listserve 'face to face' party??? Don Boekelheide Charlotte NC ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
