mmm...lead sammiches.

Ah it's all coming back to me now. You didn't want to get down on your knees and weed, it wasn't the bugs. And you put down the plastic but they grew through them. And you couldn't bring yourself to go out every day and rip them out of the ground.

Do you have a fence or barrier around your vegetable garden? If so, try cocoa husk mulch. It's biodegradable, it smells good, a 2 inch layer will prevent weed seeds from germinating, it's porous and will let oxygen to your plant's roots, it retains moisture in the soil, and slugs and snails won't cross it.

But, like any other cocoa product, it's toxic to dogs. So if you have them and they can get into the garden, you shouldn't use it. There are other mulches that are biodegradable though.

I used recycled cedar last year and although it did a great job of keeping the weeds out:

lilies_95.jpg



I think I'm switching to cocoa bean too next year. It's a nicer color and blends nicer.
 
Bobby Hogg said:
Glycosphate murders all plant life but is completely non-toxic to people or animals.
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I can't find any information online with details about this, I'd like to read up on it. Actually I did find one thing about the danger of inhaling it but it doesn't really list an reputable sources.

Do you have any idea where I can find some info? Vinegar will do the same but it kills beneficial microorganisms in the soil as well as the plant life around it.

I know it's an ingredient in Round Up which has it's own horrible affects, but it could be something else in it that's doing it.
 
I only really know about it because of the efforts Monsanto made to genetically engineer glycosphate resistance into crops. It works by inhibiting a certain plant enzyme that is vital for plant life but which we don't possess.
 
greenfreak said:
Ah it's all coming back to me now. You didn't want to get down on your knees and weed, it wasn't the bugs. And you put down the plastic but they grew through them. And you couldn't bring yourself to go out every day and rip them out of the ground.

Do you have a fence or barrier around your vegetable garden? If so, try cocoa husk mulch. It's biodegradable, it smells good, a 2 inch layer will prevent weed seeds from germinating, it's porous and will let oxygen to your plant's roots, it retains moisture in the soil, and slugs and snails won't cross it.

But, like any other cocoa product, it's toxic to dogs. So if you have them and they can get into the garden, you shouldn't use it. There are other mulches that are biodegradable though..
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I have a dog & a fence. Unfortunately, there has yet to be a mulch (natural or man-made) that will stop the SUPER-WEEDS of INDIANA. We've tried several & the dandelions pop up, cheer loudly & procalim victory. Getting down on my knees is hard when I'm in a truck. *phanwink*

The cocoa mulch may be worth a try...how do I grow wanted plants thru it without allowing weeds though?
 
With mulch, I've found timing and the amount you use is the key for me. Last year in early spring when there was nothing sprouting in my flowerbed, I cleaned up the leaves and put the little wooden fence around it. Then I dumped two full bags of mulch in the middle and spread it around by hand to make sure it was all level (about a 2 inch layering).

The weeds weren't sprouting yet so they never got a chance to get going. The lilies just grow right through it and the worst I had to do was rake the mulch a little so it didn't get tamped down too much and to allow more air through. And fix it around the stalks of the lilies when they were tall enough to clear the mulch. I added another 1/2 bag over the summer here and there just to freshen it up and I think I did some minor weeding probably 4 times. I used cedar so it didn't deter the slugs and snails so I'm switching to cocoa bean next year to see if that helps. Crushed shells are also great for that but they're not biodegradable and they're expensive.

If you need to plant where the mulch is, just put markers where you want to plant the stuff (I usually use bamboo stakes), move the mulch aside, plant what you need, and put the mulch back. If you're doing it from seed, you might need to leave a few inches around the planting site without mulch to allow the sun to warm the soil and so the seedlings can make it through.

Spot, I've heard labs especially love to eat that stuff. I don't know about your dog but a vet friend of mine says that she sees more "strange" items in labs stomachs than other dogs; socks, condoms, even rocks!
 
oh yeah. he'll eat just about anything.
i'm going to have to put a decent fence around the garden anyway. the backyard seems to be a regular stopping place for the deer. i'm not sure what other critters we have around here either.
 
I just walked by my friend's house, and noticed she's raked all her leaves into her garden. That's bad, innit? Introducing moulds and other random infectious stuff?
 
Gonz...ya gotta get thicker plastic if the ground-cover that you had let the weeds go through. I buy the same grade as heavy-duty garbage bags. You buy them in rolls...great stuff and reuseable! Places like Home Depot will have it...use it for vapor barriers. Polypropolyne...in black.

Didn't do my veggy garden this year because I didn't have the time...so I just lay out my ground-cover and let it sit there. The only place that I had weeds was where the cover wasn't. :D
 
Leslie said:
I just walked by my friend's house, and noticed she's raked all her leaves into her garden. That's bad, innit? Introducing moulds and other random infectious stuff?
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Mulch! :) Nah...I steal other people's bagged leaves and use them on my garden and around the roses and flower beds.
 
Leslie said:
I just walked by my friend's house, and noticed she's raked all her leaves into her garden. That's bad, innit? Introducing moulds and other random infectious stuff?
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It's great. It adds biodegradable matter that, when mixed with green grass cuttings, break down into a wonderful compost. It will break down anyway, it just takes a little longer.
 
Some of y'all slay me.

I do a vegetable garden most years. Didn't this year because we had plenty, and my health wasn't up to it. I plan on one next year. When I plant it, and it starts coming up, I will spray it. If I don't, the bugs ruin my vegetables. I have no desire to feed and/or house a plethora of varied insect life. So I'll kill the bastards and go on about my business. I also apply fertilizer to my vegetables at the appropriate times. I like getting a decent yield for my efforts, ya see.

I do not undertake this project in a greenhouse, window box, or any other urban alternative. I gots me 3 acres out the back door. I select the desired plot, call a neighbor with a tractor and a neighborly spirit, get m'ground broken, and have at it. I plant by the signs, as our ancestors did for generations. I tend it, I pick it, I can it, and I usually end up cooking it. It works for me. It's a little thing I like to call self reliance. I'm big on it.

As I possess neither the time, the money, or the inclination, I do not go "organic". I look at it this way. I bought the seed. I put in the labor. If a damn bug wants to try and eat it, best of luck. I will try and kill said bug. If that's unacceptable to some, let 'em come down here in the yard and tell me all about it. It's the seventh house on the right after the brick church. If you're lucky, your visit might coincide with a Confederate holiday, hence you will be treated to the display of the Southern Cross, and then you'll have something else to complain about I reckon.

Meanwhile, I'll be on the porch, in the shade, chowin down on some homegrown t'maters, corn, beans, taters, and whatever else I decide to grow for my own use in the manner I choose to grow it. Assuming I still have THAT right left, that is.
 
SnP, I've a wild grape vine that just draws aphids. Draws them right off the raspberries and goose berries. And they draw in the lady bugs en masse. Not to mention the big, big ass spiders I hosted this year. The raspberry crop was super fine, and not a drop of 'cide. The key is balance. The cavemen knew about it. The indians knew about it. Seems europeans are the only ones who didn't.
 
Professur said:
Three words. Brown paper bag.

It was good enough for me, it's good enough for my kids too.
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I thought these were better, as they don't rip, etc, and there's more room in the vinyl ones.

I was wrong. :(
 
Gonz said:
It's great. It adds biodegradable matter that, when mixed with green grass cuttings, break down into a wonderful compost. It will break down anyway, it just takes a little longer.
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I'd've thought that much extra mildew would've not been optimal. Hmm.
 
Mildew is only a problem for those who say the word "allergies" a lot :D
 
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