homemade weed prevention....

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-05-2009, 05:28 PM

yea for me...today i got a good portion of the garden weeded and the first tilling...boy was it muddy....

as i was pulling all the weeds and crap out i got to thinking about adding some kind of weed prevention stuff to the soil (kind of like that PREEN stuff)....but of course .... i don't want to BUY anything like that....so my fellow frugal gardeners..... is there something i can add that i might just have at home ???? (how bout baking soda...haha...it works for everything else....) but seriously...is there anything that i can till into the soil that won't harm the seeds ??.....

**Missy** · 03-05-2009, 05:49 PM

I dunno...but my hens will mow down an area of weeds in no time flat. I have heard of people laying out newspaper in newly weeded areas held down by rocks, cover with a little top soil or mulch and that prevents weeds.

**Debbie-cat** · 03-05-2009, 05:51 PM

I have also heard of laying down straw around plants. That too is suppose to prevent weeds from growing. I am jealous you are already working in the garden!

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-05-2009, 06:25 PM

but i was hoping for something i could mix in....i know i can put weed 'barriers' down but isn't there anything before i plant to put IN the soil ????

**old_lady_in_the_shoe** · 03-05-2009, 08:44 PM

Sorry to say, but there isn't much out there that can actually prevent the weeds for cheap/easy, that is ok for food plants and such, or all veggie gardens would be so weed free that they would all be amazing.

You can use barriers...but they can be expensive and time consuming...

Chemicals cost money and are not good for you...

so the only thing left is good hard work...
There are a few things you can do now to help later thought...
like keep the garden weeded well this year and it will prevent the weeds from reseeding so there will be less next year.

Or you can use a tiller inbetween your rows when weeds start to come up (tilling them back in while they are young will prevent new seeds and the green adds back to the soil)....

Sorry there is no easy answer, wish there was.

**Momto2Boyz** · 03-06-2009, 08:31 AM

We put newspaper down. It's free and easy! You just need to put down a few layers and lay rocks or something down on top to keep it from blowing away.

Then when it comes time to plant, just cut holes in the newspaper where you want to plant, then plant in the holes. The newspaper helps with water retention too, once your plants are planted, so you'll need to water less often in the summer.

Over the years, DH and I have found that this is the easiest method for us to keep weeds at bay!

I'm jealous that you are in the garden already too! We have a little ways to go yet! Although we did hit 62 yesterday, but it was really windy! Today is suppose to be even better! Same temps with no wind! I'm getting outside today, and I'm going to open up all the windows again to air out my house!

**Grainlady** · 03-06-2009, 10:26 AM

I put newspapers down, too. Cheap, easy, non-toxic and effective.

I spray weeds with vinegar, but would hesitate using it as a broad application in a garden because the acid may alter the pH of the soil. I purchase vinegar at Sam's Club (two 1-gallon jugs in a box) and put it in a pump sprayer. The cul-de-sac behind our property is undeveloped and a huge weed patch. I regularly spray with vinegar back there. The neighbor sprays with Round-Up and his sprayed area looks like a huge mess because it kills EVERYTHING, not just the weeds.

You might want to consider PREEN - http://www.preen.com/products/preen-...weed-preventer

**HomeschoolMom** · 03-06-2009, 12:32 PM

OK, first, let me say that I am so jealous that you are working in your garden!!! I won't be planting for a couple of months yet!

I'd love to have weed prevention as well. I was thinking of putting down some landscape fabric in between the rows and then covering it with cedar/hardwood wood chips.

We get the woodchips for free so I can be very liberal with them. I'm just wondering if that would alter the PH of the soil. They would be on top of landscape fabric and in between the rows but would the rain cause acidity to leech into the soil?

I was thinking of removing the woodchips and landscape fabric in the fall. I figure that's a lot less work than the mess of weeds I had to deal with last summer.

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-06-2009, 01:09 PM

well don't be jealous when you see what i look like at the end of the day....a big-muddy mess.... i'm sure i could wait for 'better' conditions but i can't stand it any longer....... my tiller muds up continually but i have to admit it looks 1000% better than before.... i tilled again this morning and the ground is getting dryer all the time....

i don't mind the 'good old-fashioned' way of pulling weeds (okay i would rather be lying in a beachchair somewhere...but since that is NOT an option)...i just pull the weeds with a smile...

i was just hoping that MAYBE i was missing something coz this is all new to me.... i did plant a garden last year but decided having to water and weed it was a pain and i let it go...i know, i know... and it started out being a pretty good one too....but this year....things are different.....(most importantly DH said i couldn't do it)

now its personal...hahaha...

AND.....my seeds in the garage are sprouting....YEA!!!!!! i have leaf lettuce coming up and some green peppers and tomatoes.....

**pink23** · 06-09-2009, 12:09 PM

I don't know if this will help but I've tried using this bermuda grass control I got online and it works perfect.

**gypsypoet** · 06-10-2009, 01:59 PM

Throw some cabbage in a blender and puree with a little water...make a slurry and spread over your garden. There is a natural enzyme in there it starts with a T I think and it prevents weeds from growing

**Landscape25** · 06-10-2009, 03:23 PM

This is an article on corn gluten meal. I don't know how well it works.

http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergarde...corngluten.htm

**CrazyCat** · 06-11-2009, 09:58 AM

Hey..does the cabbage really work??? Cuz I would do that in a heartbeat if it did~!

**gypsypoet** · 06-11-2009, 12:00 PM

The cabbage trick is from a great book called
Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles: Amusing & Useful Techniques for Nontoxic Housekeeping and Gardening It is on Amazon for $.63 used

**frugalfranny** · 06-11-2009, 12:58 PM

Crazy cat......when you find out if this works...let me know.

I would do that too..especially in a couple really bad areas of my garden.
Question......how thick? to run off or just dampened down?