weeds in garden

[thingy]

Well,,frank,,6-8 ft space between rows???,,,did you know,,,,you can accomplish same mission narrowing that space up to accomadate a walk behind tiller???? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[thingy]

Course,,,,if you want to raise a half acre garden in 1-2 acres,,,and don't want to walk behind a tiller,,,,maybe you got something there?? I can run my 8 hp troybuilt horse just as fast down a row weeding,,as I can my tractor,,,maybe faster,,time you turn the tractor around anyways,,,,but to each his own,,,,now,,maybe,,,,,,if your rows were say,,2-300 yds long,,now in that case,,,I KNOW you got something,,,,thingy

 

[MossRoad]

I go out in my garden just about every evening and poke around pulling weeds and straightening up for about 10 minutes. That's all it takes. I use my fingers between sensitive plants and a small, triangular hoe between close rows. I also like claw type thingy that I have. About 4-5 fingers on a long handle. I can loosen soil about 3-4 inches deep with it by raking back and forth. I also like to turn it 90 degrees and use one finger sideways to slip under weed roots and rip them out. Between those two tools and my hands, that's all that's required for weeding. We have a tiller that we use to prep very early in the season and I water the garden a lot, even before crops are planted so that weed seeds germinate and I can kill them before they get established. If it is nice tomorrow, I will take some pictures of the tools and our garden.

 

[EastTexFrank]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( <font color="blue"> you can accomplish same mission narrowing that space up to accomadate a walk behind tiller </font> )</font>

Yup, done that too. The trouble is that my walk-behind is a 25+ year old Troybilt monster and turning and maneuvering that sucker around is a major workout. If I'm over at the farm, I sometimes borrow my S-I-L's 14" Craftsman but using either one is a lot harder work that sitting in that tractor seat, especially when it's close to a 100 degrees out. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif 6' - 8' between rows lets the veggies grow up and out, depending on what they are, and still gives me enough room to get between them with the tractor and tiller. Since space for a garden isn't really an issue, we usually give away at least 1/2 of what we grow anyway, I'm just lazy enough to do it the easiest way possible.

 

[thingy]

Frank,,,well,,,I guess its true what they say,,,everything is bigger in Texas,,,but did you know,,,the Alamo..doesn't have a basement??,,,I learned that on a peewee herman movie,,,I got one of those older,[though not as old as yours],troy built 8 h.p. tillers too,,man its been a good un in last 11 or so years,,,,thingy

 

[SPIKER]

I have one of the troybuilt rear tine tillers I think 5hp from about 84 or so. it still rus but I had to work on it a lot, it WAS my sisters and is really the only thing I ended up with when she passsed. I was onlyone who was dumb enough ti USE it even when she was alive that thing seems to get a mind to drag you onto you're face every few steps. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif though at my farm the dirt is kept tilled enough so it runs well, I weed a lot but I think MIKE aka PINERIDGE lives a bit too close as every thing I seem to grow dissapears about the time it is ready to eat /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif it is him or the deer or the turkeys not saying MIKE is a turkey by you knw /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif lol hehehe

anyhow I tilled between the onions & taters this weekend and ran it down for an extra row of taters & hilled it up, I need a HOE that is longer though as I have to step into the freash tilled dirt to get far enough into the other side of the row. and when I come back down to hill the other side it is harder form foot prints? any soultions form you all???

/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gifMarkM /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Me raid your veggie garden, nawwww. Maybe if you were a bit closer to me I might. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I was out using the Troy Horse today myself to cultivate between the corn thats already up. I then threw some clover down to help keep the weeds at bay. I think the Troy takes a lot of the work out of the garden IMO.

 

[BlueRidge]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
Second, it's your garden. leave all the chemicals possible alone. If you want to eat stuff laced with all types of poisons, just go down to the local grocery. )</font>

Amen! A lot less flavor, but the chemicals make up for that, right? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


You might want to try corn gluten pre-emergent. It's completely non-toxic - you can eat the stuff, and it works.

I don't know how much it would cost on a large garden, though. There's a list of licensees on that site, most of whom sell online.

 

[sassafraspete]

I am with Egon on this one...there is no substitute for good ole hand weeding and just sweating it out....that is after you till out the middles. If you cut them with a hoe, they just grow back....you need to get to the root of the matter. If you have prepared your soil with a lot of organic matter, weeds will pull easily. I agree with Moss...get it under control, then spend a little time each day. Or....you could go into gardening with your siblings....let them do all the weeding work, then show up to pick the harvest. This is what my older brother use to do to us younger brothers until we finally wised up. Of course, we were not too smart , as it took us several years to figure that out. Or...if you have kids....use them as slaves. I think that is what my dad did. He didn't seem to have any moral issues with making us pull weeds.

All the other advice is good. Mulch, etc. If you have the space (eg truck patch) and tractor...a one row cultivator with 6 tines is a good investment. You can pick one up for under $200. You can can vary the depth of the cultivator and the speed of your tractor, to throw dirt over small weeds and hill your crops at the same time. You would also be amazed at how the plants respond to the cultivator. Loosening the soil deep did wonders for our corn and potatoes. We also used the cultivator to cover our potatoes when we planted them. We would make rows with a plow (like a middle buster), put in our potatoes, then cover them with the cultivator. You had to be careful not to cover them too deep. Sure beat covering them with a hoe. To use the cultivator though, you have to figure out the spacing needed to be able to get your tractor through the rows after the crops get some size on them. It also helps to have straight rows.

sassafraspete

 

[thingy]

Well,,,spiker,,,they are big and heavy,,[the older ones anyways,],,,but my wife has used this one,,not much,,but enough times that I know she can do it to say,,,if you can't handle a 8 hp troy built,,,than........turning them around is easy,,just pick up on handles,,thus getting tines out of ground,,,than spinning it around,,,than GENTLY lower back into ground,,takes me less time to do it than type it,,,,owners manual don't say to do it that way,,,but...hoeing potatoes,,,,stepped on ground,,,,no,,don't know a method,,unless it would be tilling after each hoeing pass,,I know what you mean,,,I just hit it a little harder with hoe,,and when I'm tilling,,try and do a real good job so's I got plenty of loose dirt to rake up,,might go between each row 3-4 times,,depending on soil..........thingy

 

[llowman]

Reading these old posts .... I'm new to this forum so help me out here if I mess up. I have a big garden in what was pasture land and the weeds kill me every year. Has anyone used preen the organic kind - after their seeds have come up to keep the weeds out? Tilling works but the pasture grass & weeds come up so thick it's hard to get the tiller through it.

 

[ericrm2005]

Reading these old posts .... I'm new to this forum so help me out here if I mess up. I have a big garden in what was pasture land and the weeds kill me every year. Has anyone used preen the organic kind - after their seeds have come up to keep the weeds out? Tilling works but the pasture grass & weeds come up so thick it's hard to get the tiller through it.

I have used preen....it works decently, however you have to be careful as it is not able to be used on ALL veggies. I didnt know there was an organic preen. I have used the conventional before. Honestly, I like to keep as many chemicals out of my garden and crops as possible. That being said, I am not afraid to use them when absolutely needed.

 

[llowman]

I have used preen....it works decently, however you have to be careful as it is not able to be used on ALL veggies. I didnt know there was an organic preen. I have used the conventional before. Honestly, I like to keep as many chemicals out of my garden and crops as possible. That being said, I am not afraid to use them when absolutely needed.

I found the organic preen at Lowes or HDepot last summer and we never used it because we too don't like chemicals in the garden. But I just can't face fighting pasture grass again this year and losing veggies. Last year I lost 2 rows of potatoes to the dang grass it got so high couldn't find the plants. I figured if it was organic it might be a lot better than say roundup. Any other suggestions? I have this great plastic bunting from golf tournaments but my rows are 40' long and it just blows all over the place, can't keep it secured it seems (garden is in a field).

 

[Car Doc]

I use preen on anything thats up already like onion transplants or tomatoes but not on seeded plants until after they are up.

And its not even that great but short of hoeing them its something at least.

You can use it on potatoes at any stage or so the new instructions say this year and with gold's I can vouch for it not hurting them mine all came right up through it just fine.

I mow and then till if it gets too far out of hand and mine usually does about mid season I make my rows 6' apart so I can get in there.

 

[llowman]

I use preen on anything thats up already like onion transplants or tomatoes but not on seeded plants until after they are up.

And its not even that great but short of hoeing them its something at least.

You can use it on potatoes at any stage or so the new instructions say this year and with gold's I can vouch for it not hurting them mine all came right up through it just fine.

I mow and then till if it gets too far out of hand and mine usually does about mid season I make my rows 6' apart so I can get in there.

6' apart sounds like a winner! Maybe need to suggest that! Sigh I know gardening is hard work and I don't mind that but I hate that mine always looks so horrible and other people's is all nice and clean. Oh well at least I know what I'm eating and can have fresh veggies all winter from the freezer. Thank you for your advice - I'm gonna try the preen!

 

[EastTexFrank]

Reading these old posts .... I'm new to this forum so help me out here if I mess up. I have a big garden in what was pasture land and the weeds kill me every year. Has anyone used preen the organic kind - after their seeds have come up to keep the weeds out? Tilling works but the pasture grass & weeds come up so thick it's hard to get the tiller through it.

Man, this is an old thread that you've dug up. I shake my head when I read some of my old posts in here. I've moved on in my 25 year search for the no work garden.

I've used the Organic Preen and it seems to work, up to a point, but if you have a large garden the cost will bankrupt you.

What I did starting 3 years ago was I tilled up the whole veggie garden and added all the compost an manure that I had. I then got 4 old, spoiled bales of hay from the farm and unrolled them, covering the garden at least 4" to 6" thick with hay mulch. I must admit it was pretty hard work unrolling those round bales but no harder than hand weeding a large garden when it's 100 degrees. I used the little tractor and FEL to help unroll them and turn them around. When it comes to weeding, I haven't hand weeded in 3 years. 6" of hay will stop the grass or weed seeds from sprouting and not let new seeds contact the ground so they can germinate. Over the course of the year the hay breaks down into compost so every spring I renew the hay with another couple of bales just to keep the thin areas covered.

If any weed does sprout, I grab an armful of hay and throw it on top of it. End of problem. I do use some Round-Up around the edges just to keep those in check and stop the grass from encroaching.

When it came to planting I just pulled back the hay, dug a hole with a trowel and stuck the plants in the ground. As the plants grow I sometimes pull the hay back around the stem or use the organic Preen around them to control any weed seeds that are there in their little planting hole.

Some people don't like to use hay as mulch because they say it encourages mice which in turn attracts snakes but in 3 years that's never been a problem. If you have access to hay, I would recommend it.

 

[Car Doc]

6' apart sounds like a winner! Maybe need to suggest that! Sigh I know gardening is hard work and I don't mind that but I hate that mine always looks so horrible and other people's is all nice and clean. Oh well at least I know what I'm eating and can have fresh veggies all winter from the freezer. Thank you for your advice - I'm gonna try the preen!

Welcome! And I have one more tip that I thought of last year and its in place now because I am lazy and trying to be lazier.

And thats not watering with a sprinkler you are feeding the weeds too between rows. (at least it was a revelation to me I am slow at times)

I used a middle buster to make my rows this year and I am flood irrigating (setting a hose at the end of the row and walk off) and top watering with a hose the onions and things that are not getting enough out of the ditch. good luck :thumbsup:

 

[Car Doc]

I just picked up a new mini tiller today and plan on using it to cultivate my irrigation furrows between my crops and fine tune the outer edges.

Its a 4800 sq ft plot not too big but a lot more than I want to pull weeds on my knees.

I took my 17" tiller down between my onions a couple days ago and it worked but most of my other rows are narrower. I needed something smaller.

I think this just may be the ticket to a lazy mans garden free of grass and weeds time will tell sure cant hurt?

It should also mix in the cow manure etc which I spread in the furrows and that should help with the natural fertilizing.

edit: Added a before and after pic of a couple rows of small corn we had steady 40-50 mph winds all day so wasn't able to get close to the bigger corn or onions w/o clipping leafs but this looks like it will work great.

And once I am sure all the corn and okra is up another good dose of Preen will keep the later weeds and grass down a lot of them anyway.

Obviously the green thats laying in the bottom wont be green in a couple days and look better but the overall clean edges and level furrow is what I was after it watered like a dream last nite, my 17" will get the rest easily.

 

[Kyle241]

Mulching with straw works very well.