I just read Lee Reich's book Weedless Gardening. I'm inspired. Has anyone in this group used this method! [No till, newspaper/mulch grass smother, wide beds with permanent paths, permanent mulch, feed top layer of soil and let the rest take care of itself, organic feeds like soybean meal and greensand.] What is your opinion or experience? Thanks! Brian
weedless gardening
I've tried similar approaches and have major weeds back in some of the areas. The problem is birds and other critters continue to scatter the weed seeds unless every square inch of dirt is covered with plants. So that's my goal!
And don't let the books fool you. Preparing a bed with that method is every bit as much work as getting down on your hands and knees and pulling the weeds.
I'm not saying not to try it, but if it were foolproof, we'd all have known about this a long time ago. It's just one more method of gardening, so it's fun to try out.
Gwen
And do remember, if you buy soil, it CAN have weed seeds in it! The stuff I bought sure did.
I have not read the book but have done something similar.
I have a long hedge of Lady Banks roses that are watered with soaker hoses. The water was going hither and yon so I decided to bury the hose under mulch. I wanted a very thick layer of mulch because of our hot, hot, hot summer temps.
Here's what I did: shovel in some llama pellets, top with cardboard, top that with shredded office paper and finally top that whole mess with a combo of straw and bagged mulch from the store. I bought the kind of mulch that has a weed control agent in it. Me and the roses are very happy. Here's a recent pic of some happy roses. That mound in the left front is a bunch of pine boughs waiting to cover pathways.
You have to stay on top of it - worked great for me for 2 years - 3rd year broke both feed - its like starting from scratch
this year as far as the weeds (really just crab grass out of control with help from the neighbors) but my soil has improved with the adding of humus so in that respect its better then just weeding.
But if you want to add plants right away I would Pull and Kill the planting zone first. I thought I could just do the lasagna method/ Ruth Stout method - NOT with Bermuda KILL it - sink a barrier 10 feet below ground & then just get used to pulling the crab grass out I am hoping that Xericscaping the area will help.
I would not use Round up on bermuda/crab grass I have heard that even if you spray ONLY the grass - the roots are so intermingled with other roots you can kill a neighboring plant and still have the bermuda,....
MQN is right: it's great IF you stay on top of it. There will be weeds as long as there are seeds in whatever organic mulch you use, birdies fly, and the ole wind blows. But they're easy to pull in a deep mulch, and I use this method more or less myself, as I like my soil structure complex: full of earthworm holes and tiny little rootlings. The only disadvantage is if you let things go: if pests aren't dealt with and their larvae live in the soil, if you don't rotate your crops, etc.
I do use newspaper and mulch method for almost all of my landscape/garden beds. I haven't read the book that you mentioned, but your brief description of it sounds very similar to how I do most of my landcaping and gardening. I may have to check the book out from the library and compare my methods. Smothering with newspaper and mulch is easier than removing sod or tilling.
Weeds are never a once and done treatment. Weeds continue to come from all sorts of places, through the air, through the soil, from the birds, from the squirrels, from your shoes... I am certain that a planting bed will have less weeds if soil hasn't been disturbed by removing sod or tilling.
Weed elimination is not a once a done solution. Garden beds will always have weeds, using newspaper and mulch just makes weed control easier, it does not eliminate it.
When new weeds start popping up faster than you can pull them, then its time for a new layer of paper and mulch.
Brian,
I have not read the book either but I've learned that I destroy my soil structure (sand) when I till. Instead I layer the amendments on top and although I use newspaper sometimes, I put compost, mulch and other stuff right over top of leaves. And I use a lot of shredded leaves.
I still have weeds but they are greatly diminished compared to when I had tilled.
The downside is, eventually my entire yard will be several feet taller.
Sue
I was told, as a boy, that where you find bermuda grass, is where you can find it 50Yrs. from now.
Hi Mqiq77,
Thanks for your concern about bermuda grass. I am originally from San Diego and have had my butt kicked more than once in a bout with bermuda grass. However, here in NW Pennsylvania, while there are some really nasty winters, there is [cold-winter people can gleefully chime in here] absolutely No D***** Bermuda Grass Here! Yeeee-hah!
Brian
Sounds like Pa. is a suitable place to live.I guess a 6" frost line is what it takes, and you won't find that here in Ga.(unless it comes in april!!) Mike
PA a nice place to live??? Only if you don't like sunshine.
The ONLY time you see sun is when you are 30,000 feet in the air leaving PA.
Other than that, some of the nicest people I have ever met live there.