Keeping The Ground In The Garden Weed Free

They say weeds are plants with a bad reputation. I have battled weeds for years. I will tell you what works for me!

Why am I writing this post now?  Last week it was unusually warm. It should be about 10F, ground frozen, and snow should be on the ground.  It was in the 40F's so I decided to attack the weed problem to get ahead for next year.

Here are my constraints for weeding:
1. I cannot stand being in the hot sun in the summer for more than a half hour at a time. Usually I spend a half hour in the sun (full hat, long sleeve shirt) then need about a half hour out of the sun to rest.  I am a cold weather person.  I regularly wear shorts in 30F weather without a problem.
2. I have limited time for weeding on a daily basis.
3. Can't put the weeds into the compost bins so i have to bag them and take them to the dump.
4. Can't let the weeds grow and send seeds all over the garden. this will just make it worse next year.

Weed Control Possibilities:
1.  Spray weed killer - Won't use them. I try to grow natural, organic, and authentic in my garden.
2.  Flame weed killer - Never tried it.
3. Mow the weeds - My garden space is too crammed with plants and grow beds. I tried this and it took up too much time every day.
4. Wood mulch - The weeds just grew through the chips.
5. Rubber mulch - Never tried it.
6. Plastic weed blocker and wood mulch - This worked great and looked even better. But after a year the wood mulch decomposed and the weeds just grew in the mulch and I was back to square 1.
7. Plastic weed blocker, no mulch -

I reclaimed about 600 square feet of the garden by pulling weeds, clipping sticks, and trampling down grass. I laid the black weed blocker down. Most of the area will be filled with pots. I just laid the weed blocker down and overlapped sections by a foot. I used old pots to hold down the corners and edges. I'll figure out how to fasten it down in the spring. I like this kind of surface. You can keep it clean, still lets the water drain through, and with the pots filling the area looks good.

I was very lucky to have the time to take advantage of the warm weather. The other advantage is that anytime now the ground will be frozen and covered with snow. I have to make sure I have clear paths in the garden or I could trip over a hidden object and hurt myself.

It's nice to spend the time to get ahead and prevent a problem! I will have a future post on how I minimize weeds in the grow beds.