Ground cover weeds

[sunnychooks]

Last year was my first year with a veggie garden. I used newspaper as mulch and it worked pretty well. This year, between rain, work and laziness (I admit it) I didn't put any type of mulch down. I have weeds that I can only describe as "ground cover". What are they? What is the best way to deal with them?

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

Photos would help.
If no photos: what color and shape are the leaves? Does it have flowers/ what color are they? Have you dug some up? What does the root look like? Do you have it anywhere else in your yard? Have you seen it anywhere else in town (roadside, neighbor's yard, park, etc.).

 

[patandchickens]

I'd use a hoe, handweed around the plants, then mulch like heck.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[sunnychooks]

Okay, here are the pics (This is so embarrassing!).

I spent the better part of the day pulling these blasted things up from around the plants. These pictures are the worst spots, but I definitely don't want to deal with this again.
Now I need to figure out a suitable mulch.
Any Ideas?

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

Oh wow, you weren't kidding! I don't know what that is, but I bet a good mulching would definitely help prevent it. Did it come up pretty easily? (I hope so!)

My favorite method of mulching is using newspaper (wet it down so it doesn't fly away) and a nice thick layer of cypress mulch on top of that. The newspaper eventually breaks down into the soil along with the mulch, but it keeps the weeds at bay pretty well! I believe you could also use cardboard - thought I've never tried it.

I'm currently using plastic sheeting instead of mulching, and it's working out really well, but there is something to be said for the biological benefits of mulching. I'm going back to my mulch next season.

 

[me&thegals]

I think it helps to know what should be mulched and what might be better hoed. I am NOT mulching my brassicas this year because I don't want to give a home to the caterpillars. Those I planted in a way that I would easily hoe them.

Melons are planted in black plastic, total weed control.

The sweet corn will be hoed with a wheel hoe.

Potatoes will keep getting hilled up, each time hoeing up the weeds and letting them die in the sun.

Beans will get mulched heavily with lawn clippings to prevent weeds and preserve moisture. Same with tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

The squash and cukes will NOT get mulched, again trying to prevent a nice hiding place for their pests.

I use cardboard boxes for all my walkways, topped with grass clippings or straw. Works great!

Good luck! Weeds can be so disheartening, but it feels so good to have a way to control them! Oh, one other thing, this year I am planting rye in areas that are "extra" and are hard to control weeds in. My garden is between a curving woods edge and a straight field, so rye will go in the awkward spots. At least that "weed" will die after 1 year and not allow millions of other weeds to go to seed in my garden!

 

[patandchickens]

Ha, I'm not going to laugh at you, I had the exact same scenario last year but mine were *tomato* volunteers. Honest. It looked bizarre. Hated to have to kill them all! But of course I did. Well ok most of them.

Yeah, hoe carefully and with a *sharp* hoe so you can do it without disturbing the surface of the soil any more than unavoidable (ideally you want it to be acting like a razor, just cutting them off at soil surface - think of it as shaving your garden's legs ) and then unless you have a big vole or slug or earwig problem I would for sure water the bed then lay down a few thicknesses of dampened newspaper and top with tree-chippings, straw, OLD (seed-free) mulch hay, composted leaves, grass clippings, or tall grass cut before it flowers.

(If you do have a big problem with voles, slugs and/or earwigs, be warned that putting newspaper under the mulch may accentuate the problem even more than just mulch alone -- you still may want to do it, but do it knowingly, don't be surprised)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Mackay]

OOOPs!

 

[Mackay]

I never pull weeds anymore. I use this hoe and just leave the weeds in the bed after they are cut. If your weed reproduces by an underground root system like bindweed it will not work so good, but I use it on them anyway in my ornamental garden. Once a week for 20 minutes keeps the garden looking good. This weeding hoe is the best invention ever.

you won't be breaking your back anymore!

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/subcategory.aspx?category=292&subcategory=634

If it is a bind weed like weed in your veggie garden I think mulching might be best. I don't know what that weed is you have there but if it comes from seed rather than spreading roots you shouldn't have a problem. Get a hoe like above.

I have read that chlorine dioxide kills bind weed and there are some products that have it.

 

[vfem]

I never pull weeds anymore. I use this hoe and just leave the weeds in the bed after they are cut. If your weed reproduces by an underground root system like bindweed it will not work so good, but I use it on them anyway in my ornamental garden. Once a week for 20 minutes keeps the garden looking good. This weeding hoe is the best invention ever.

you won't be breaking your back anymore!

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/subcategory.aspx?category=292&subcategory=634

If it is a bind weed like weed in your veggie garden I think mulching might be best. I don't know what that weed is you have there but if it comes from seed rather than spreading roots you shouldn't have a problem. Get a hoe like above.

I have read that chlorine dioxide kills bind weed and there are some products that have it.

I have one of those!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!