WEEDS WEEDS WEEDS

[lnm03]

They are overpowering my garden....

I havent been able to tend to my garden like normal this year and the weeds are taking over! I have a very large garden and cant spend the time I need to out side!

I have been in the hospital off and on for the last couple of months for neurological issues....they are watching a cluster of blood vessels on my left temporal lobe because they thought I have had a brain bleed....I have been experiencing excruciatingly painful migraines and vision loss. They ruled out a bleed but they think that they may have to do surgery to remove the cluster of vessels because it is possibly affecting my vision and it is causing the migraines....So thats why I have all these weeds!

Is there a safe effective way other than spending hours in the garden to get rid of the weeds with out harming my veggies? I am not into using sprays and chemicals but at this point I just need to do something quick! I didnt know if they made anything that will only kill the weeds and not my veggies.

would LOVE some advice! I have a feeling I am going to be told to start pulling but I cant be in the out to long or my migraines get worse!


ETA: Sorry Guys I just realized I posted this in the wrong area....should of put it in the weed tread!!!!!

 

[bid]

Weeds in the garden aren't all that bad. They might even help provide some protection for your veggies from some of the bad bugs...fool them. My advice would be to try and do a little every day. Pull ten weeds or twenty or set a time limit for being out there (a short one) and then STICK to it. Your health is more important than your garden being weed free. Besides, a weed free garden is only possible on gardening tv shows.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

If you don't spray your lawn for weeds, you can use the grass clippings as mulch. It will keep the weeds down a great deal and add some nutrients to the soil! Also, when you do get out to pull weeds, pull them up and lay them on top of the mulch, with the roots away from the dirt, they will add to your mulch.
I agree with Bid too, on setting a time limit. Say you can only do 5 minutes before you take a break, then do 5 minutes. Later, do 5 more. Or, only weed your tomatoes today, tomorrow the eggplants, the next day do something else.

 

[patandchickens]

Also, whatever area you do manage to weed (either by pulling or by hoeing, or by talking someone else into doing that for you, or are there neighborhood kids who'd like to earn a buck?) lay down some newspaper on the cleared space, as many sheets thick as you have enough newspaper for, and lay the weeded-up weeds on top of the paper to hold it down. It doesn't look that bad, as mulches go, and will help decrease regrowth. Dampen the newspaper if necessary to get it to stay put long enough for you to put the weeds on.

Good luck, hang in there,

Pat

 

[seedcorn]

herbicides on your garden will give very mixed results. Without trained help, I would suggest most of the results will be BAD.

How to tackle the weeds will depend on the size of the weeds, size of the vegetables you're trying to salvage would all dictate how I would suggest to proceed.

If you can afford it, best solution would be hire some decent kid.

 

[Texan]

Weeds beat me up this year and this is my first year to garden. I just put some mulch down in a garden area that I hoed the weeds out of. I am using grass clippings from the mulching lawnmower. I will let ya know how that works out for me.

I am always looking for a better way.


Mike

 

[lnm03]

thanks for the suggestions! I was out for about 10 minutes last night and weeded my onions mayber I can get out there later tonight and weed some more! I will try putting some news paper over what I have already done and see how that works!

 

[Ron]

Are the husband, two boys and one girl old enough to help? Seems with your current problems, they might be a big help.

 

[lnm03]

They do help out alot...my husband works thirds so it is a bit difficult sometimes. kids are only 6, 5 & 2 they helped me last night while there dad was at work. My mom said she might come this weekend and help.

 

[SewingDiva]

Most weeds are annuals, and many of them can do through two whole life cycles in 90 days or less, so I try to pull them before the seed heads mature. This helps keep them from spreading even faster. I have read that some people put down black plastic early in the spring to warm the soil and kill the first round of weeds so they won't germinate, but I can't say I've done that myself.

I did know a guy who covered his entire garden with landscape cloth and mulched over it. He cut holes into to it when he transplanted . He did have a really weed free garden for the whole season too.

I also find much easier to pull weeds in dry soil than wet soil. With the exception of a tap rooted plant like dandelion they come right out when the ground is dry. Weeds are just part of gardening really. It turns out that my chickens love crabgrass so at least that weed has a positive effect!

Phyllis