One simple thing that works very well for us is mulch. This is where you put down a layer of leaves or grass clippings or other organic material around your plants. Just a 2-3 inch layer does a great job of keeping the weeds at bay. There will be a few stubborn weeds that poke up through the mulch, but they are generally easy to pull up by hand because the mulch has kept them from rooting very deeply in the soil.
Getting enough mulch is a challenge for us. Last fall we drove around town and picked up bags of leaves that people set out for the trash collectors. We had a small mountain of leaves that we retrieved. Over the winter, Tom roto-tilled about half of these into a couple of new gardens to amend the soil. Since we have a lot of clay, this helps to break it up and adds valuable organic matter. Then, he used most of the rest of the leaves to mulch the potatoes this spring. So, we've been looking for other sources of mulch.
One day we were at Lowes and noticed these "lawn sweepers" they had for sale. Hmmmm. We wondered if one of these might be the solution to our mulch problem. Only about a fourth of our 5 acres is used for gardening. So, we have a LOT to mow and we have a riding mower to help with that. These lawn sweepers hook on to the back of the riding lawn mower. I was somewhat skeptical about how well this would really work. But, we decided to buy one and give it a try. Here is a picture of it:
Much to our amazement, this has beat our wildest expectations! It picks up almost all of the grass clippings. You can't see it very well from here, but there is a rope that attaches to the top of the canvas cart. When the cart is full, you drive to where you want to dump the clippings and pull on the rope. This causes it to tip forward and dump the load of clippings in a pile. You can do this without getting off the mower and then drive on to pick up the next load.
I suppose this would work for leaves as well as grass clippings. We have some large trees, but the wind usually blows most of the leaves away in the fall. However, we may be able to salvage a few of them. We'll see.
Thoroughly enjoying your blog. I would love to have a wonderful vegetable and herb garden, however, we RV travel too much in the summer and I know it would all go to ruin in our absence.
ReplyDeleteReading this blog post, if you ever have a day that you can bring the lawn sweeper and a trailer to Edmond (can use our riding mower) - you're welcome to our leaves. We have 5 wooded acres that we keep mowed, but removing leaves is usually a 2-3 day long chore that we rake and bag by hand. Usually about 6 truck beds full of bagged leaves when it's all done. Husband is needing surgery this fall and I don't think he's going to be up to the task this year. So - if you need free mulch, this would be a win-win for both of us.