Grow Your Own Magazine

The GYO magazine is doing an article on organic weeding and Kirsty is on the lookout for any hints, tips and advice for said same subject.

- and obviously those chosen would see their advice printed in the magazine.

We all have weeds and I for one will be taking notice of any tips coming forward on how to keep them down.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Thursday 8th January at 2130hrs

Dull but effective:
dig up and remove all traces of root you can see
repeat a couple of weeks later when regrowth shows
cover with mulch
pull up weeds whenever you can - never leave it for later
plant something useful in any gaps to shade out weeds
hoe regularly on dry days

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

Weeds pull out wholesale much easier when the ground is wet. Actually, I bet that depends on your soil, but that works for me.

If no time for 'proper weeding' above, run the hoe round to knock the heads off. They'll probably regrow, but it keeps them in check till you have more time.

PS I'm not allowed to use a hoe any more since one or two rather unfortunate incidents including decimating an entire row of carrots. Soon I will not be allowed to pull weeds up either as in the week I grabbed the wrong stem and hoiked a fully grown runner bean out of the ground...

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 20/12/2008......End of year report - plot d (legumes)!.....

Weed before they set seed and then keep the hoe sharp.

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Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

oooh yes - mark with string where you're not to hoe!

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

You could even try the builder's site marking paint Hazel, maybe even get someone to mark each plant for you.

__________________
Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

Thought about tying a piece of ribbon to the one's I want to keep....

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 20/12/2008......End of year report - plot d (legumes)!.....

It's not the most exciting thing but I find that the little and often approach works well for me ie keep at them while they're small before they take a hold and definitely before they get the chance to flower and set seed. Seems like you only have to blink and they've overtaken the things you actually wanted to grow!

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I always weed on my hands and knees, with a good quality hand fork. You can get all the annual weeds out whole, and the perennial weeds can be dug out where space allows or get hold of the root under the soil and pull out a lot more than you would from a standing or crouched position. (Always remember that your back can be damaged by weeding in the wrong position just as easily as by too much digging )
Prevention is better than cure, and unused ground should be covered with weed textiles/mulch/green manure until you're ready to use it. If you're taking on very weedy or overgrown land, and don't want to spray it, cover everything you can't dig so that the weeds are weakened, and recover what you've dug so it doesn't end up back at square one...

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Sarah

http://www.hypermobility.org


“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

The best weed block is a good thick mulch. I use manure, but straw, compost, cardboard or numerous other mulches could be used.

My manure mulch gives annual weeds no chance and perennial weeds can be pulled out very easily. Let nature do the work for you, no dig............no bad back............... no disturbing surface weed seeds............... mulch to improve the soil structure and keep down weeds.

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Initially I would dig the perennial weeds out, in particular for Nettles, docks and couch the roots need removing.

If the ground is not required immediately cover with cardboard and then cover the cardboard with manure. The cardboard will rot down and improve soil and the weeds have no chance.

During the growing season, hoe regularly for annual weeds and dig/pull out perrenials and they show, do not let any weeds set seed.

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An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.
Will Rogers

My main problem is with annual meadow grass...if I pull by hand (which works for chickweed, spurge etc) the grass just breaks off leaving the root to regrow. I have now got an L-shaped knife from Poundstretcher, which is really good. Even better than my Poundshop kitchen knives.

I have been doing close planting, which keeps the weeds down but allows the slugs to proliferate. Seems the choice is weeds or slugs next year...at least weeds don't eat my crops.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

What I'd really like is a Kirpi
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalo...roducts_id=477
pricey though, at £17

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

A few tips from an old estates gardener, given to me years ago was, to never let weeds flower. If you don't have time to weed an area, just pull off the flower buds. Mainly things like dandelions. And secondly, he always said "never let bindweed see a monday". So on Sunday just pull up the bindweed by hand, and whatever is in the ground will get weaker each time, until it doesn't show again. Pretty tedious, but better and cheaper than trying to spray. Not yet needed to try the latter out, happy to say.
Dave

I did spray the bindweed with glyphosate, but it had limited effect. Hand weeding has been better (and far more satisfying).

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

Someone once said to me " One year's seed equals seven years weeds"

Basically saying don't let them flower, or you'll be chasing them forever!

Can't for the life of me remember who said it, and it ain't from me, but it certainly seems to be true.

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Veni, Vidi, Velcro.
I came, I saw, I stuck around.

Little and often- then it doesn't become a chore!

I was always told that. THe other old say I remember is

" The Best Mulch is the Gardeners Shadow"

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

That's funny, Nick - I can go to the Hill and look at the crops all day long in my shadow and the weeds still grow......!!

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 20/12/2008......End of year report - plot d (legumes)!.....

I keep a old bucket handy round the allotment to drown the docks in. When its goes too smelly I dump it in the compost bin.

Hoeing also loosen the top soil to let any rain penetrate easily instead of running away.

Having cleared couch and bindweed infested plots I still get recurrance of bindweed.

A neat trick passed on to me for the odd bindweed poking its head out of the soil is to unwind it, lay it on the ground, peg the end down and using rubber gloves and an old paint brush treat it from a clearly labelled pot of made up glyphosate weedkiller such as Roundup.

No spray drift, nothing on crops and gaurenteed removal of that bindweed without having to dig up what it is growing near.


Other than that, little and often, which is hard on clay in a wet year,

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My Swedish neighbour puts old tin cans over her bindweed, in the hope of excluding its light and thus killing it. Methinks, it just puts up new shoots elsewhere though...and what looks better, a border of rusty cans or bindweed (quite pretty in flower...my sister has trained some up a trellis !!!)

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi