[Mama Dragon]

I've got a huge back yard, enough that half of it will make a great garden, but I've never had a garden that big that was all grass and some weeds. I don't have a rototiller, but I'm sure I could rent or borrow one. I'm being overrun so badly with weeds that I'm actually considering chemicals - they're destroying the lawn and overtaking the flower beds so fast that I can't keep up.

Anyway, I want to prep the area now (or soon), so the grass and weeds can mostly be killed for next year and I have a nice spot of dirt. If I used chemicals now, with how much it rains (PNW, a lot of rain), would it be mostly safe to plant in the spring? Is there better (for the environment, pets and people) chemicals to use? How should I go about this project?

I plan on having tomatoes, onions, corn, maybe potatoes, lettuce and an herb garden for DD. Maybe some squash and melons.

 

[devster4fun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synthea™ I've got a huge back yard, enough that half of it will make a great garden, but I've never had a garden that big that was all grass and some weeds. I don't have a rototiller, but I'm sure I could rent or borrow one. I'm being overrun so badly with weeds that I'm actually considering chemicals - they're destroying the lawn and overtaking the flower beds so fast that I can't keep up. Anyway, I want to prep the area now (or soon), so the grass and weeds can mostly be killed for next year and I have a nice spot of dirt. If I used chemicals now, with how much it rains (PNW, a lot of rain), would it be mostly safe to plant in the spring? Is there better (for the environment, pets and people) chemicals to use? How should I go about this project? I plan on having tomatoes, onions, corn, maybe potatoes, lettuce and an herb garden for DD. Maybe some squash and melons.

Good for you to start such a BIG project. It wil be a lot of work, but very worth it.

One idea you could think about is to try and kill everything with plastic bags. I'm not sure how big of a space you're thinking of. For one of my flower beds, I bought some plastic tarp material in a dark color. Then, stake in the ground around the corners and edges. After a few warm days, the heat will build and start to kill the grass. After a week or so...everything should be pretty dead or on its' way. Then, you could till all of that up and remove the largest weeds, rocks and debris.

Just an idea to keep the chemicals away. Especially if you plan to grow things you will consume later.

 

[GooeyDay]

The best and safest way to kill grass/weeds/etc in a future bed is the method that devster described. They actually make a specific fabric for this purpose that can be purchased by the yard at hardware stores. No point in poisoning the ground you plan you grow stuff in!

The optimum time to prepare a bed is actually in the fall. After you've killed the green stuff, borrow a tiller (if possible) and till in a layer of leaf mulch (often available for free from your community center, or purchaseable at landscape supply places). You'll want to till in about two layers, and finish with a third layer on the top. You can then spade some manure into the bed (look around for free sources of this as well from local stables). This way the bed has all winter to "cook," without weeds and whatnot popping up after all your hardwork, Plant bulbs in the fall and trees/shrubs in early winter. You can start seeds indoors in late winter, transplanting them outside after the final frost. Add another top layer of leaf mulch to the ground in late winter/early spring as well. Then bring on the perennials and annuals in the spring! You will have rich earth to grow them in!

BTW, you can certainly use a shovel to turn your soil, but the tiller rental would definitely be worth it for the initial preparation.

Good luck!
~* Laura

 

[serenetabbie]

I have said it a billion times, but here is goes again....Lasagna gardening! I love it

There is a book by the same name, most librarys have it. I am all for lazy gardening and this fits my ways just fine.

I currently have three lasagna beds and plans for more. You can even plant directly in it with no waiting a whole year if you want. Like my kids say... easy peasy lemon squeezy! Easy to plant, easy to maintain, easy to weed and easy to rake out & seed with grass if you need to.

BTW, I have dreams of moving to the PNW. *sigh*

 

[UUMom]

I have 2 acres, and there is no way in hell I would garden all that, and no way do I need all that. We do Square Foot Gardening, and put it in two weeks ago.

www.squarefootgardening.com

You grow up. It rocks. I let the rest of my yeard do what it needs to do. I've planted native species, and beleive me, it's the native species that take over . I also have tossed native wild flower seed. When the ticks get too bad, we mow some. No chemicals, no sprays etc. The chickens love it.

It takes one day to get your raised beds in order, cover the grass/whatever with cardboard, water the cardboard, and then dump your dirt mizxure on tip. Then plant.

I know my own limits, and it doesn't include fields of food, but it does include mutiple raised bed.

:

 

[lmonter]

Like a pp, my first thought was lasagna gardening. No tilling required, unless you really, really want to.

We're also working on strategies for next year's garden, and I'm seriously toying with the idea of covering up the garden beds with plastic during the spring to kill the weeds so it's basically ready for me to plant when *I'm* ready.

If you feel you *need* to kill the weeds, try something like distilled vinegar sprayed on the plants first or something. I haven't tried it yet, but have heard lots of folks with success stories (but it kills all foliage, not just your "weeds").

 

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I agree that smothering the grass somehow would be better than using cemicals. You could use layers of newspaper, cardbord, plastic or lasagnia gardening which is many layers of paper, cardbord, leaf mulch, compost, soil ect. whatever organic matter you can get your hands on. This has the benifit of improving the soil while you kill the grass and imediate results, you can build up the bed and plant it right away. With plastic you have to wait a while. But it does mean you have to sorce a lot of organic matter which depending on where you live can be a chalange.

In your existing flower beds, mulch will help cut down on weeds and conserve water use.

In the lawn, I don't think of them as weeds so much as biodiversity!

 

[serenetabbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Feimorgan In the lawn, I don't think of them as weeds so much as biodiversity!

ITA!

 

[TigerTail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by serenetabbie I have said it a billion times, but here is goes again....Lasagna gardening! I love it There is a book by the same name, most librarys have it. I am all for lazy gardening and this fits my ways just fine. I currently have three lasagna beds and plans for more. You can even plant directly in it with no waiting a whole year if you want. Like my kids say... easy peasy lemon squeezy! Easy to plant, easy to maintain, easy to weed and easy to rake out & seed with grass if you need to. BTW, I have dreams of moving to the PNW. *sigh*

yup. (i even used old drywall once & made some limelovers like dianthus v happy).

 

[TigerTail]

ps my 'biodiverse' lawn is the only green one in the 'hood right now

. even other people's weeds are dead. go mulchmower!

 

[Mama Dragon]

Unfortunately, the landlord doesn't care about biodiversity.

I think for the garden area, I'll do the plastic sheets then 'till it a few times, but for the lawn, I've got to take more drastic measures.

I'll keep an eye out for freebies to enhance the garden and start a compost, I've been meaning to but was unsure if we'd be in this house long term (wanted to move to Portland but DH lost the job there).

Thanks for all the input! Please keep the advice coming if you've got it!

 

[sparklefairy]

Will plastic bags also work for killing trees? I have several that keep throwing babies all over, including places like the middle of my rosebushes, and I want them GONE.