Controlling the Weeds

Taking care of what you're growing is the fun and rewarding part of having a garden, but unwelcome weeds can quickly become overwhelming and cut into the time you have to do the fun stuff.  Here are a couple of tips on how to keep weeds under control so you can focus on your veggies.

Grass clippings are great way to smother any weeds that may want to pop up in your garden.  The most important thing to consider is whether you have treated your lawn with any kind of chemicals or fertilizers.  If so, you'll unfortunately have to skip this idea.  Even if you're not trying to stay organic, the harsh chemicals many people use on their lawns will kill just about anything except grass and could potentially harm your vegetable plants. 

If your lawn is chemical free, putting grass clippings down between your rows can lock in heat and kill any weeds that may be trying to invade.  As veggie plants grow larger, you can also start to place clippings around the base of the plants to keep weeds down.  Continue to add clippings each time you mow until a nice cover forms over your garden's walkways and beneath your plants.

Spraying is another easy way to manage weeds.  There are a lot of nasty chemical weed killers on the market, but you can make your own non-toxic version with the household items and directions below.  

Vinegar Weed Killer:

1. Fill spray bottle almost to the top with distilled white vinegar.

2. Add three generous squirts (not drops) of dish soap.

3. Add two tablespoons of canola or other cooking oil.

4. Secure the lid and shake. 

Spray this directly onto weeds you want to kill on a hot sunny day.  This mixture won't work very well on overcast days.  The soap and oil help coat the weeds and the vinegar works with the sun to burn up the plant.  You can reapply as needed, just be sure to safeguard your vegetable plants from any of this spray as it will burn anything it comes in contact with. Spray again after any rainfall or after watering.   

Prepping and Planting

Last weekend I finally made enough time to get my seeds in the ground.  Our garden had been tilled about a month prior, so my first step was to re-loosen the soil in the rows with a rake.

Next, I added some organic composted cow manure into the rows and mixed it with the native soil to increase the nutrients.

Then it was time to pull out the garden plan I'd made way back in February when my seeds had first arrived in the mail.  Planning is important to ensure you'll have a steady supply of vegetables and that everything will have enough space.  You can also plant certain things close together to fight off some pests.  I recently learned that placing dill between tomato plants can reduce the number of aphids on your tomatoes.  Sketching things out ahead of time can help you make the most of your space.

After a little fine tuning of my plan, I created labels for everything, stuck them in the dirt, and began digging holes and dropping in seeds.

Less than a week later, thanks to warm temperatures and plentiful rain in our area, everything has pushed up through the soil and started to grow.  

Early Wonder Beets

 Bright Lights Swiss Chard

 National Pickling Cucumbers and Homemade Pickle Cucumbers

 Speckled Calico Lima Beans

 Clemson Okra and Red Burgundy Okra

 Tall Telephone Peas

Lolita (Zucchini) Squash, Horn of Plenty (Yellow Crookneck) Squash, 

and Scallop Sunburst (Pattypan) Squash

In the next week or two, I will add our tomato plants and pepper plants to the garden and start thinning out some of the extra plants that have sprouted.  Until then, we'll be watching these continue to grow!