Yander
Elite Member
Also, I hear you on the herbicide free. I'm all for that. However, I would hit that land with a heavy dose of roundup right now, while still warm enough to work. Let it kill that for a couple weeks, Then rent or buy a 3pt. tiller and till that under this fall. Then in the spring, hit it with the tiller again and plant. Then manager weeds using a layer of leaf mulch or grass clippings.
Glyphosphate does not bind to the soil, it will kill the weeds to the root and will not affect your veggies unless you are spraying it on their leaves. I do not use it but I do when starting a new area to grow in. You will be fighting sod all year if you don't.
Do not till the leaves in in the spring. Just put them on top the ground as a weed barrier. You can till leaves in in the fall. Night crawlers and the elements will break them down over the fall/spring and you will have a nice organic soil.
Go get every bag of leaves you can find and till that in this fall. Do some reading up on what leaf mulch will do for your soil's moisture retention. It will change the way you think about leaves. Since she wants to go no till, you need to become a friend of leaf mulch.
Or you can do that black fabric that I've seen people put down and burn holes in it. That seems to work well. I'm probably going to try that some, maybe next year.
Glyphosphate does not bind to the soil, it will kill the weeds to the root and will not affect your veggies unless you are spraying it on their leaves. I do not use it but I do when starting a new area to grow in. You will be fighting sod all year if you don't.
Do not till the leaves in in the spring. Just put them on top the ground as a weed barrier. You can till leaves in in the fall. Night crawlers and the elements will break them down over the fall/spring and you will have a nice organic soil.
Go get every bag of leaves you can find and till that in this fall. Do some reading up on what leaf mulch will do for your soil's moisture retention. It will change the way you think about leaves. Since she wants to go no till, you need to become a friend of leaf mulch.
Or you can do that black fabric that I've seen people put down and burn holes in it. That seems to work well. I'm probably going to try that some, maybe next year.
Last edited:
Give me a day to digest and I will address your questions and ask more. If it was my garden I would 100% use roundup to get a good start. I think a 1 or 2 bottom plow and disc would work. But she is willing to go the tiller route as well.
