First, I'd only bother pulling the ones you identify as bad for your plants.
I've come to realize that many weeds are beneficial, and a lot of the rest cause no harm.
For example, weeds provide ground cover, which stabilizes moisture even if you water enough.
Some are even good companion plants, helping attract beneficial insects or providing nutrients, shelter, et cetera.
I started a small list of beneficial weeds, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_beneficial_weeds
But if you want to prevent weeds, then next year cover the ground with something else, like thick bark mulch, sheet plastic mulch, or companion plants.
All of those, especially the plastic mulch sheets, will stabilize moisture, and all of them will compete out most of the weeds.
The companion plants will also serve other functions, like adding nutrients, attracting beneficial insects, et cetera.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/companion_plants
I grew companion plants and, sometimes accidentally, beneficial weeds around my tomatoes plants, and I've had the most productive garden I know of in the neighborhood, per-plant.
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Sounds like my first garden. Your eyes were bigger than your stomach. Or
your energy anyways. Try starting out smaller. With maybe just one or two
things, then move on to one or two the next year. Mulch. I'm going to try
using the chopped up leafs from dh's leaf vac next year. I've gotten a
pepper or two, a zucchini or two, and a few cukes over the last five years
but I've discovered the only thing I'm really able to grow well is tomatoes
and green beans. So lower your expectations some and you'll be happy with
anything, even 8 beans! People on here getting 200 lbs of tomatoes have
been doing it for a few years.
]
On Behalf Of Deut 32:35
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:56 PM
To: TheVeggiePatch@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [TheVeggiePatch] weeds vs. me =3D weeds won
ok, I have a large area I worked very hard on this
year for my 1st garden, and for a month or so it
looked beautiful, but then we got tons of rain and the
weeks about killed me trying to keep ahead of them.
What did I not do right? Is there anything I need to
do right now for a fall garden? I mean it got so bad I
had to use the weed eater and lawn mower to mow em
down.
I did my 1st garden this year and I need lots of help.
My cucumbers were not green full grown, they were
yellow, my squash bloomed and died. my tomato's did
good until the green worms brought their salt and
peppers shakers and had a picnic, my potatos never
grew bigger that golf balls, my sweet corn was going
great until the weight of the corn kept knocking the
stalks over when the wind blew. my peppers are just
now blooming, carrots didnt look like the ones in the
store, only 1/2 the size and looked like aliens, but
my radishes were great. I got a total of 8 green bean
from the vine before they died, and as I mentioned
before, my culiflower has turned out to be really good
rabbit food. H E L P !!!!!!!!
Mark & Sally
Deut 32:35, Psalms 109:1-9
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