There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own organic vegetables, but how is it possible to keep the weeds at bay?
Weedkillers such as roundup don't just kill weeds. They contaminate the soil around them and make it virtually impossible to grow healthy organic food that is safe to eat. Studies have shown that it can stay in the soil for up to 2 years and has an adverse affect on plant and soil ecology.1 In laboratory tests using rats and mice, it has shown to decrease fertility.
So what are the alternatives to using harsh chemicals?
The best way (and probably the hardest) to keep the weeds to a minimum is to remove weeds on a daily basis, removing them manually from the soil. In order to reduce the effort involved in this, it is best to turn the soil over and keep it loose on the areas where there are no plants growing. With the use of tools to help you and getting into the habit of maintaining it daily, it becomes relatively easy and hassle free in time.
Plant strategically, known as companion planting. Learn which foods grow better next to each other and will not invade one an other's space but will give enough ground coverage to suppress weeds, repel pests and keep your vegetables or fruits growing abundantly.2
Know your soil type. It is possible to buy testing kits that can test the ph level of your soil. For example, clay soil is more alkali and will have a higher ph than sandy soil. Research the ideal soil type for each vegetable you want to grow, and if your soil is not right, look for a natural organic fertilizer to correct it.
Supplement the soil with compost. It is best to know the source or ideally, make your own. Remember to burn weeds and put the ashes on the compost heap rather than the weed itself, or it will leave unwanted seeds in the compost that will wreak havoc in your organic garden for many years to come.
Salt diluted in water makes for an excellent weed killer. Applying directly to the weed will not have any adverse affect on the soil or to the vegetables you are growing around it. Be conscious that if the soil becomes too contaminated with salt it will impair the quality of the vegetables you are growing.
Boiling water is another natural way to eliminate weeds from your patch. This would be better suited when preparing the soil to plant, rather than using with established plants as the heat from the water will kill any roots that are surrounding the weeds.
Vinegar is an excellent organic weedkiller. It has a high acidity which works by killing the leaves of the weed and stopping it from growing further shoots. It is most effective on younger weeds, but can have a desired affect on more established ones after several applications.
Weed suppressants such as mulch, straw and newspaper are fantastic for preventing weed growth by blocking sunlight to the weed. Simply lay it down around your plants.
Corn Gluten Meal stops weed seeds from germinating. The gluten ( which is a by-product in the manufacture of corn meal and cornstarch) in the corn is the active ingredient that does this. Scattering the corn meal over the soil will help stop the weeds from coming through. Although this method is not highly recommended in the U.S. due to the fact that nearly all corn is GMO. It can be said that it is still allowed though in organic standards.
Organic gardening can be fun and productive. With a little t.l.c. it can be something you can be proud of. If you have young children, it is also a great way to educate and entertain them. The benefits are endless and you will feel better knowing exactly where your food has come from.
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants#Vegetables
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Use coca or pepsi cola to beat bugs, is even cheaper than insecticides.
ReplyDeleteBut both products contain GMO's.
DeleteJust because something is considered safe to consume does not mean it is actually safe to consume.
ReplyDeleteJust because something is sold as safe for human consumption does not mean it is actually safe for human consumption. Those are chemicals like any other.
ReplyDeleteI'd double check this as cornmeal doesn't contain gluten....so if corn meal works it is some other factor. Unless the author is using cornmeal that also contains wheat flour, which is a thing that happens.
ReplyDeleteCorn does not contain gluten!
ReplyDeleteUse Diatamaceous Earth to beat bugs and enrich your soil. Eat it to lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol, remove heavy metals from your body, clear your skin,remove wrinkles,scrub your bowels, kill parasites and relieve arthritis - that's just for starters - and it is CHEAP!
ReplyDeleteSources? How to Consume? How Much to ingest? taste?
Deletesources? how much do you ingest? how often... daily? taste?
Deletefor bug control use regular DE, for consuming it use food grade. just google food grade Diatamaceous Earth and it will bring up a lot.
Deletehttp://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp
There is corn meal and there is corn meal gluten, two different things.
ReplyDeleteOne really easy way to garden - don't fight the weeds in any way other than trampling them as you check your plants, water or normal maintenance (tying tomatoes to supports, etc.) I've done it for years. Often I put a board over the weeds once trampled. Once they start to grow up again I lift the board, re-trample and set the boards back down. This way the weeds end up working for you. I've had fewer issues with diseases, insect infestations and the natural 'weed mulch' keeps the surface moisture levels higher than without.
ReplyDeleteIt appears my first comment was deleted - so apologize if it just isn't showing for me, and I end up posting twice, but I haven't weeded in decades. Almost no pulling of weeds at all - except in my potatoes, which I grow vertically in welded wire fencing that create a cylinder with, plant the potato seeds at the bottom and fill with topsoil and compost as they grow up the cylinder. For the rest I trample the weeds as I do my normal watering, feeding, tying of tomatoes to supports, checking for aphids and the like. If I have them available I'll lay boards on top of the weeds - so they can't just lift themselves up off the ground. Since I started doing this I have had lower incidents of disease, bug infestations/attacks (except aphids which are easily dealt with by an application of a soapy water mixture) and the soil stays nice and moist on the top from the weed mulch. Occasionally I lift the boards, repeat the trampling and replace the boards. The weeds seem to get very weak and I don't disrupt the root systems of my plants by pulling up weed roots and don't worry about any herbicides.
ReplyDeleteMulching has been highly effective in weed killing. Because the weeds have to stretch from the soil to the top of the mulch they develop weak root systems and are spindly which makes them easy to pull. Also keeping weedy areas surrounding your garden mown helps prevent spread.
ReplyDeleteI use a sturrup hoe to eliminate the small ones and just leave the weeds to compost on top, unless they have gone to seed. Johnny's seed cataloge sells sturrup hoes. Killing invading grass is the hardest. Laying cardboard can kill them. All my beds have a thick layer of carboard underneath. I layer garden so I build my own soil which eliminates a lot of stuff that travesl by root systems. If anyone knows another way to get rid of grass that spreads by the roots please post!
Use of artemisia extract i.e. the leaf, branch, stem or root can help control of weed growth.
ReplyDelete