Gasing using weed killer on a garden- am I way off?

Flatheadyoungin · Jul 5, 2009

We planted our first garden this year and everything seems to be doing fine.....potatoes, green beans, lots of corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and a couple of watermelons.

Well, we put the garden in over at her dad's. He's in the nursing home and we would go get him on Sundays and let him watch me cut grass and work in the garden. Now, he isn't able to get out and when we go over there we just visit at the nursing home. So, my time with the garden is pretty slim and as you can imagine, the weeds are taking over part of it. I pulled and hoed but didn't get to the whole garden. In hindsight, I should have nipped the weeds in the buds in the beginning and it wouldn't have been nearly as hard to keep up with.

Let me get to my point and question.

I see farmers "gassing" fields. Everything dies. They seed it and it- soy beans, corn, hay, etc.- comes up without any weeds. My neighbor out by my property used 2-4-D before he put it in hay. Now, I don't like the idea of chemicals but beef cattle are eating this corn, soy beans and hay, and then we eat them.

What would be wrong with using a good weed killer on the garden area next year, wait until it dies out, till it, plant it and then keep up with it? Am I going to kill myself or get cancer from the chemicals? I read somewhere on here on or on the net that glyphosphate (sp??) begins to decompose within 24hrs after contact with the ground.

What about using some of this "gas" that farmers use?

MikeInEburg · Jul 5, 2009

The only challenge I see is that by tilling it, you'll be reintroducing fresh weed seeds (they're EVERYWHERE). If you go this route, I'd consider tilling early then waiting until weeds begin to grow, then spraying then planting.

Another method is to put down newspaper to smother out the weeds. This has been a family method for 30 years - works like a champ.

Mike

Reverend Blair · Jul 5, 2009

When we first started the garden here, I used Roundup pretty religiously in the spring and fall. It kept the weeds down and, since glyphosate doesn't stay in the soil, is safe to use. Then one year I grew a crop of Roundup-ready canola that blew in from somewhere. Canola isn't generally considered a weed, but it successfully choked out my garden. I called to let them know what had happened, but since I'm not a farmer their respnse was somewhere between apathetic and rude. My tolerance for Monsanto ended right then and there.

Now I've gone back to the no-chemical methods. I rotate the garden. I leave one section fallow and till it at the first sign of weeds. I use lawn cuttings between the rows to act as mulch. I renew the soil with compost and bought topsoil. I try to spend an hour or two a day working on some aspect of it.

One of the biggest things I've found though, is that keeping the grass around the garden mowed is a big part of weed control. The main part of my garden is in an open field (kind of off my property too

) and keeping the surrounding area mowed back about ten feet keeps the surrounding greenery from creeping in. The other thing is to the edge of the garden tilled. I do that at least once a week as part of the mowing.

Next year, I hope, I'm going to be putting in raised beds for the tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. I'll keep the peas, potatoes, beets, etc out in the field though. Raised beds seems to discourage weeds too though.

So I'd suggest staying chemical free, if possible. If you do use chemicals though, make sure that you use something that doesn't stay in the soil and won't end up in your food. It seems to me that 2-4-D would be a poor choice, but Roundup would be okay.

J_J · Jul 5, 2009

Flatheadyoungin,

I found this and thought you might be interested. Also, years age, there was a chemical that would sterilize the ground, killing bugs, seeds , etc. and after a while you could plant and do quite well.

There is another method of soil sterilization, that is sometimes used by orchards, and that is steam sterilization. I have read and seen pictures of it in use. You build a flash boiler that is propane powered, and run the steam to a flat tube with small holes in it, and by dragging this on the ground at a set schedule, you will have a very good control of the weeds. 212 or greater degrees of steam will kill just about anything. This should work to keep the pathways, dog kennels, or whatever clean of bugs, seeds, etc. There is no residual left except water, and that is good. Just something to think about. It is do-able, and has been done.

How to Sterilize Soil | eHow.com

Willl · Jul 5, 2009

My father did the same thing with the plastic that JJ linked, only dif is he used black plastic.

Charlesaf3 · Jul 6, 2009

I find rototilling the heck out of things keeps the weeds down surprisingly well - and if they come back, thats just free fertilizer..

bontai_Joe · Jul 6, 2009

I personally don't like chemicals anywhere on my property. I'm not a "tree hugger", just don't want to be injesting stuff that they discover will kill me 10 years from now. In an existing garden, mulch like newspapers and grass clippings works well and requires time only for application and it's done. Newspaper ink has been lead free for many years now and safe to use. Another good way to "sterilize" the soil is to till it up early in spring and cover it with black plastic. The black color absorbs the heat from the sun and causes the weed seeds to greminate and sprout, but the black plastic prevents the new weed plants from getting sunlight and they soon die. Also depending on your location, and how much sun is received, you can generate temps in excess of 140 degrees F under the plastic also killing many plants as they sprout.

Flatheadyoungin · Jul 6, 2009

I was just thinking out loud.....there's some good food-for-thought ideas...

Bontai Joe, yes, I'm actually quite conservative but don't like the idea of putting chemicals on my ground, either......I know it's safe now, but so was smoking not so long ago...and, they used to cut legs and arms off to save you!

For a smaller family garden that you use a small rototiller, I really like the black plastic idea.....

EastTexFrank · Jul 7, 2009

Here's my answer. I got an old book called "No Work Gardening" from a friend for Christmas by a lady called Ruth Stout. She used to write for Organic Farming and Gardening about a hundred years ago. Her method of weed control is mulch, lots of it. She used hay (or just about anything else). So this year I hauled 6 bales of spoiled, bad hay from the farm and spread it out over my garden about 6" thick. To plant I pulled the hay back and stuck the seeds or transplants into the ground. As they grew I pulled the hay back around them. So far this year I haven't needed to weed once. If a stray weed does come up, usually around the edges, I grab some more hay and dump it on top of the weed. It's working very well. This has been the best garden I've had in many a year and there are several reasons for that. The hay keeps the soil moisture at a more even level and I haven't had to water so often. As the hay decomposes it forms compost and you just keep adding more hay on top. The whole garden is much cleaner, even after a heavy rain. There is less need to keep everything staked and out of the dirt. All in all I'm very pleased with the way things are working out. The less time I spend hoeing and weeding in 100 degree temperatures, the happier I am. Last but not least, good hay is selling for $25 a big roll down here. So, three rolls covers a lot of ground, costs about the same as a gallon of herbicide and lasts a darned sight longer. If you know any farmers they might have some old hay laying around that they would be willing to give you for just hauling it off.

kthompson · Jul 7, 2009

I have heard of problem with mice with the hay mulch which then leads to a problem with snakes and then with a problem of who digs the potatoes.

EastTexFrank, do you use it over root crops and if so have you harvested any? Just wondering if the hay harbored insects?

I have used the black plastic and it works very well even in the hot South. Just use a pitch fork to poke holes in it before unfolding so water can soak through. The heat it generates seems to help control insects for me. Be sure to take it up before tilling (Experience).