Organic Gardening - Controlling weeds in a garden

Weeds are Our Friends

Did I hear you laugh? Well, keep an open mind while I try to explain why I say this.

Weeds are hard to come by in my yard now.

We've had drought several years in a row. The drought doesn't seem to affect Johnson Grass or Bermuda Grass or other rotten weeds. But since there has been drought, I've been pulling anything weedy and putting it on top of my mulch to make MORE mulch and to feed the soil.

Yes, weeds feed the soil if you add them to your mulch. Some weeds have a nice long taproot that MINES nutrients from below ground and brings those nutrients up into their leaves. When you put the weed back down on top of your mulch, when the weed degrades, it puts those nutrients right back into the soil.

The other reason why weeds are scarce in my yard is that I mulch heavily. Weeds don't grow well in heavy mulch. I also mulch for several other reasons.
     *1   mulching conserves moisture and we have been having drought.

*2 mulch keeps the beneficial mirobes, earthworms, fungi and bacteria happy. (Yes, most fungi and bacteria are beneficial and EAT bad bacteria and fungi.)

   *3 mulch feeds the soil and feeds earthworms. The earthworms then dive deep down into the ground, taking the nutrients with them. When they excrete wastes, those wastes are nutrient rich and break down (with the help of other, smaller creatures as well as fungi and bacteria) into rich nutrients that plants can use to grow on.

      *4   mulch helps the soil structure. If you have clay, mulch lightens it. If you have sand, mulch helps hold in nutrients and moisture and adds much needed structure to your soil.

In areas where I seriously need no weeds to grow, such as around my tomatoes, I add a few sheets of plain newspaper to the ground and then put mulch on top (to hide the newspaper and to add to the depth.) The newspaper is gladly eaten by the worms. (See above for why this is good :)

   So what about Poison Ivy? I'm highly allergic and cannot tolerate it at all. I've had it even in my bloodstream. So PI is NOT welcome here (though it tries sometimes.) I put plain brown cardboard over sites where PI is trying to make inroads. Since I live right up against an old growth forest in Appalachia, this is not uncommon. The cardboard smothers the PI. I put, what else, mulch on top of the cardboard.

Where does all this mulch come from? We rake up the lawn now and then and use the grass clippings. We trim bushes and strip the leaves off the twigs and branches before adding twigs and branches to a brush pile. Any spent plant is used as mulch as well. We also gather leaves in the fall for mulch. I also plant winter rye where I can and cut it down for mulch. The rye roots are left in the soil to die and bring MORE nutrition to the soil.

   One warning about mulch. If you buy hay or straw for mulch, be aware. Many farmers (nearly ALL where I live) spray their fields with herbicides that kill wide leafed plants but not grasses and grains. When you mulch with that hay or straw, you bring herbicides into your garden. Tomatoes are ESPECIALLY intollerant of herbicides but many other vegetables and fruits can be affected as well. Commercials and store clerks would try to have you believe that herbicides are "harmless". I think it is criminal to sell herbicides. Consumers do not understand the ramifications of using them and the corporations aren't about to disclose them.

   There are a few organic herbicides that help somewhat. Vinegar can work on smaller weeds. Don't use on large patches. You can also purchase a flame weeder. We find that a stirrup hoe works well for our paths between garden beds. A stirrup hoe makes quick quick work of weeds and I can then gather them up for ... what else?.... mulch!

    If you have read to here, I have some more crazy notions for you! Some weeds are downright edible. And being edible, once you start harvesting them, you'll find they become scarce :) Also, some flowering weeds attract beneficial wasps, lady bugs and bees to your garden. There are very small wasps that love love to kill vegetable eating critters. These wasps don't sting like large wasps, so all around they are good guys to have around. Of course everyone now knows that bees are in danger and need all the forage they can get. A varied diet for bees is good for them just as its good for you. So keep a few weeds around here and there. (Herbicides can make bees unhealthy just like they can make YOU unhealthy.) .



Hugelkultur:
    We also gather weeds to make hugelkultur beds. Hugelkultur beds have been THE answer to our soil problems here. To find out what they are go to: http://home.att.net/~ekyorigins/Hugelkulture.html

More Links:

Mother Earth News I appreciate it when a company has integrity and I think making back issues of Mother Earth News available online is super! You will find many answers to questions at their website. I very much look forward to their magazine.

NewFarm.Org is another favorite haunts of mine. Terrific information. I do wish more farms would register with them so that when I travel I can make it a point to buy from farms!