A bit ago (at least 2 crises and one upgrade) there was a great thread about planting spring gardens.
Here’s the deal: I want to plant in a bed that went fallow (okay, neglected) last year. A bunch of hideous weeds and viney stuff is sprouting out all over the place.
To be honest, I’ve never faced this before. :: pathetic whimpering:: What can I use to nuke the weeds that won’t croak the flowers? I usually prep the beds in the fall, and they’re ready in spring. This time I’m late–and the kudzu has invaded.
Is there no hope? (And if anyone refers me to Martha Stewart I will fall on gardening trowel.)
Veb
I can’t tell from your post whether there are flowers there already or not.
If not, you can put black plastic over the bed. It will kill everything, but it takes a while to work.
Or you can use Roundup. This will kill everything and you can supposedly plant 24 hours later. But I don’t use chemicals in my garden and neither should you!
A more drastic option would be rototilling the bed.
If there are plants there that you want to save, you will just have to weed the bed by hand. What about hiring a kid and paying him or her a nickel per weed?
Were you looking for this?
[url=http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=18462]A gardener wants suggestions on suppressing weeds!
Yes! Bless you, bless you, may the Miracle Grow Gods shine upon you!
Sorry the post was so cryptic…it’s a flower bed (vs the veggie and herb ones, that aren’t exactly shining either) that sufferered neglect during a bad year when I just plain didn’t take care of them.
This particular (flower) bed just plain deteriorated last year because I didn’t have the time–or heart–to bother with it. In that time it got infested with a wispy, nasty viney infestation (along with the usual usual weeds and creepers) and belatedly it dawned on me that it’s Spring.
Basically, I want instant (emergency?) solutions. It’s looking sincerely ratty, but this flower bed has irrationally become A Symbol to me. I’d be happy, thrilled, estatic with some honest petunias. But first I have to entrenched crud out.
Sigh. I think I flunked “a lovesome thing” again.
Veb
Of course, it would be easier to link to if I could remember the new correct URL format with quotes:
[url=“http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=18462”]A gardener wants suggestions on suppressing weeds!
BTW, if you have a full sun or mainly sun exposure, I highly recommend verbena. I planted purple ones last year and this year they’ve just taken off! They spread like bishop’s weed (the bane of my existence), but they sprout these beautiful, prolific flowers. Completely carefree! They last from early spring to late summer.
I’d post a picture of my terraced garden to show you what I mean, but…uh…ED WON’T LET ME. Yeah, that’s the reason I’m not posting it.
Good luck!