Weeds in veg patch?
Question:I have started growing veg for the 1st time eg carrots, lettuce, spring onions and potatoes, but i seem to be inundated with weeds, i keep pulling them up but they wont stop growing, what can i do to stop them next year
Answers:
the first four answers are all right. the first year is always the worst for weeds because they were probably growing there before.. when you cleared the area to plant veggies, it opened up the space for new plants to take over. of course, they (the weeds) are taking advantage of the opportunity, including sunlight, water and fertilizer that you have added to make your veggies grow to grow themselves.
be sure that you keep the weeds pulled and diminish the competition for your veggies. mulch the areas around the plants (I like pine bark mulch). mulching does a couple of things.. it blocks the light to weed seeds, it helps maintain moisture in the soil and cools soil temperatures.
as mulch breaks down, it becomes organic material and enriches the soil..
I think that pre-emergents like Preen have their place, but not around veggies.. and particularly not around root veggies like potatoes and carrots. I'm not convinced that the chemicals are harmful to humans, but why take the chance..
It does mean more work, but weeding and mulching are the best avenues here.. besides, working in the garden is therapeutic and good exercise.
You need to make sure the whole root of the weed is removed. Hoe the ground weekly when the weeds are small to get them out.
You have stirred up old seeds..keep pulling them up..be persistent..next year or season.. after adding organic matter and digging in..mulch..let fallow..then pull up any weeds..and then pull up some more..don't forget to rotate your crops and for acidity or alkalinity.You can compost the weeds without seed-heads also.Good Luck.
Next time after your seeds have sprouted and become little plants, apply a pre-emergent such as Preen. It stops the germination process so weeds can't sprout up. After you apply the Preen you cannot plant seeds anymore, you can only put in started plants.
Please don't use any chemicals in your garden.
An organic alternative is to take newspaper strips, brown paper bags or brown paper towels and place them between your rows, and around your plants. They will keep the weeds out, act as mulch, and eventually, turn to compost right where you put them.
The key to weed control is to pull or kill the weeds before they release seeds. Just keep pulling them up when their young.
A single weed can produce thousands of seeds.
Good Luck!
Be prepared to weed about once a week or so for the first 6-8 weeks of every gardening season. Once the plants are well-established, they won't give weeds a chance, especially if you plant thickly. My motto is: Empty soil encourages weeds. If the foliage from your plants is thick enough so that no light can reach your soil, once the plants get well-established, you won't have any more weeds for that season. In particular, your potatoes should soon be so thick that weeds won't stand a chance in the potato patch.
Find out what you can about companion planting, and plant several types of vegetables together solidly in 2-3 foot rows. In your list, lettuce and onions grow together quite well. So do lettuce and carrots. So do carrots and tomatoes. Or carrots and radishes, or onions and corn. Beans and potatoes produce such thick foliage that once they get started, you won't have to weed if you plant them in 2-3 foot wide plots rather than in single rows.
Don't let any weeds grow up in your walkways. Instead, lay newspaper or cardboard down in the walkways, then cover with rotted hay (buy a few bales this year, and let them sit uncovered by the garden until next year to rot nicely).
When you do weed, pull the weeds up gently by the roots if you can do this without disturbing your plants and put them in a bucket. Empty the bucket outside the garden. For other weeds, get a hoe and use it to cut the weeds just under the surface. Keep your hoe blade razor sharp to make the task easier.
weed then mulch - the mulch will help control the weeds and retain moisture.
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