how to best prepare garden from grass covered sod and weed seeds

[CalG]

Have you tried fencing your garden and dropping in a half dozen chickens? I think chickens would go to town on those dudes.

chickens consume EVERYTHING! and from what I read, will only eat the Asian worms as last resort. Too tough.
These worms propagate through egg cases that "hatch out" when the weather warms up. 60 days till maturity, so there really isn't time enough to get the worms out and a garden in.

Believe me, I've considered doing so. though we have no chickens yet

But if I had a chicken, the garden is fenced (to keep the deer from eating it all in one night)

;-)

 

[Yander]

I have gardened on and off for over 30 years and what i can tell you without a doubt, there are 1,000 ways to grow a garden. It comes down to the best fit for you and your situation, soil, equipment and desire for aesthetics.

What I mean by the last item, aesthetics, the #1 way I have found to grow veggies, especially the type the OP wants to grow is not really a thing of beauty. It is Hügelkultur mounds.

I grow stuff every year using in the ground (corn), raised beds and hügelkultur mounds. By far the hugel mounds out perform all other means and need less water. Deep mulch them on top and you can literally go all summer and not water them. I have. They do better if you do water them a couple times but the plants will be fine with no water. This is the reason it is a method used in a lot of arid regions that may see very little rainfall. The wood acts as a sponge and releases it into the soil as the soil dries out.

Here's a link to this method. What Is Hugelkultur? Building the Ultimate Raised Bed

I actually build my raised beds with wood, sticks and leaves in them just like the hugel mounds and they do great, but still not as good as the actual mounds.

I've used most of the methods mentioned by others and they all work. Seems from your pictures you already know what you are doing.

 

[Sonny580]

herbicides target only certain weeds! Gotta get the right stuff for gardens as NOT just anything will work!

 

[grsthegreat]

id rather not have herbicides in my foods...thank you. we use plastic along the footpaths to keep weeks down, and hoe out the weeds in the rows.

 

[wmfamily]

seems like an awful lot of unnecessary work.

My wife and I made a small garden a few years ago, we used unbroken ground covered in grass and weeds.
It was winter (in the south) so we scraped a bit of the dormant grass to begin with.
I rented a 5' tiller and tilled the area twice. My wife raked the few bits that were left.

I ran the tractor in the newly tilled fluffy dirt, and that's how I made the rows, the tires made the low flat areas, and the middle was the ridge to plant in.

When grass was cut on the weekends, my wife put fresh the clippings (grass, weeds, seeds and all) on the ridges and then eventually in the troughs for weed control. To my surprise that all worked well.

Pretty simple process really. No chemicals, etc. don't over think it.

Just till it this year and see if your family maintains care and interest, if they do and want to continue, address any issues next year.

View attachment 849097

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Cardboard or paper grocery bags laid down before putting down the mulch helps to create that barrier needed to keep the weeds out. It definitely helps with water retention. We've been doing this for years and the only thing that gets through it (around really) is bindweed. That just grows along the ground until it finds light and then starts going crazy. I've pulled some that was two or three feet long before they break off at the soil surface way back under the mulch. If you keep pulling them they will die off after many years but it only take a micron to resprout it seems.

 

[jyoutz]

herbicides target only certain weeds! Gotta get the right stuff for gardens as NOT just anything will work!

You must have some herbicides that I’m not familiar with. Some target all broadleaf plants (2-4-D). Some target any plant (glyphosate), and some target seeds to prevent germination (pre-emergent). I’m unaware of any herbicide that targets weeds but not garden plants.

 

[Sonny580]

I use what works for me! Everybody has their own opinions.

 

[mikester]

From your pictures, it looks like you already know a lot more about gardening then I do. We tried for several years to do a garden like yours, but the weeds became too much and then Summer would hit and make the ground like concrete. I have red clay, and it's great in Spring, but horrible in Summer.

We gave up on having a big area like yours and went to raised beds. I bought several dump truck loads of "good" dirt, and we finally became successful at gardening. The weeding is easier, our plants did better, and we're able to keep up with everything. Currently we have 24 beds, and eventually we'll double that and then some.

We put red mulch in between the beds, and that's made keeping the weeds clear super easy. We still get a few, but they pull out without any effort, and the biggest plus is not having to walk in mud after watering.

what size of raised beds did you use?

 

[EddieWalker]

4x16 with 3 foot walkways around all four sides.

This was last Easter. We hid some eggs in the garden.

My wife is a Master Gardner, and people give her plants all the time that are dying, so she brings them back to life before giving them away, or planting them in our yard.

 

[tstex]

This may be the way to go and also very cost-effective in my opinion. Has anyone used this before?

Costco Landscape Fabric, Dalen Pro Shield w/ 50 Staples - Costco Fan

Costco sells this Dalen Pro Shield Landscape Fabric for $29.99. Scroll down for photos. I didn’t know Costco sold this stuff. I browse through their gardening & landscape products each year, and this is the first I’ve seen the landscape fabric. This would have been useful about 6 months ago when...

costcofan.com

Here are the spec's, but for $30 bucks, you get 880 sqft of coverage...so for $60-$90 bucks, that's 1760 -2640 sqft, respectively. That should do it for me.

Based on all of your suggestions and input, lay out this fabric, then applying 1-2 inches of shredded mulch [no coloring or crap contents], then cut small holes, install plant and cover w mulch, I could live w extricating the weeds that come around the holes and other places...pull the ones near plants and hit w 30% vinegar on the ones that will come up from the grd or wind-blown. What do you think?

• Brand: Dalen Pro Shield
• 4 x 220 Feet = 880 Square Feet, $29.99/roll
• Heavy Duty Fabric
• Staples Included
• Retains Moisture
• Weed Barrier / Erosion Control
• Home or Commercial Use
• Chemical Free Weed Control

 

[jyoutz]

This may be the way to go and also very cost-effective in my opinion. Has anyone used this before?

Costco Landscape Fabric, Dalen Pro Shield w/ 50 Staples - Costco Fan

Costco sells this Dalen Pro Shield Landscape Fabric for $29.99. Scroll down for photos. I didn’t know Costco sold this stuff. I browse through their gardening & landscape products each year, and this is the first I’ve seen the landscape fabric. This would have been useful about 6 months ago when...

costcofan.com

Here are the spec's, but for $30 bucks, you get 880 sqft of coverage...so for $60-$90 bucks, that's 1760 -2640 sqft, respectively. That should do it for me.

Based on all of your suggestions and input, lay out this fabric, then applying 1-2 inches of shredded mulch [no coloring or crap contents], then cut small holes, install plant and cover w mulch, I could live w extricating the weeds that come around the holes and other places...pull the ones near plants and hit w 30% vinegar on the ones that will come up from the grd or wind-blown. What do you think?

• Brand: Dalen Pro Shield
• 4 x 220 Feet = 880 Square Feet, $29.99/roll
• Heavy Duty Fabric
• Staples Included
• Retains Moisture
• Weed Barrier / Erosion Control
• Home or Commercial Use
• Chemical Free Weed Control

I have used that type of fabric with good results before. It’s better than plastic. I buy it on Amazon.

 

[tstex]

I have used that type of fabric with good results before. It’s better than plastic. I buy it on Amazon.

JY and all, is there a certain thickness of the fabric in ml's that should be used? Thanks again

 

[jyoutz]

JY and all, is there a certain thickness of the fabric in ml's that should be used? Thanks again

It depends on your intention. For permanent landscaping such as perennial landscaping beds covered in rocks or bark, I use the thickest, most durable material available. I have some that is still good after 20 years that I placed around rose bushes and covered with gravel. For one season use in the garden, just get the cheap stuff and some staples. I do have a few strips about 50’ long of the heavy duty stuff that I have been using in the garden for about 5 years where I plant lettuce and other greens. The holes are cut out and so I have to use the same planting design every year. Then I roll up the fabric and use it again next year. I like that the fabric keeps dirt off the lettuce leaves after a rain. Obviously this is only a workable solution when you are putting in transplants, not where you are planting seeds. I don’t have raised beds, but if I ever do use them, I would use the thick fabric in the walking areas between the beds.

 

[tstex]

Just for the record, here’s a pic of the winter looking plot I’m referring to snd is the exact area where the former pics shows the garden rows.

Although this is the area, since the 15 degree weather, all is dead and was cut earlier when green so no thick growth

Thanks again for everyone’s help & suggestions.