Gardening question

momtomany · #1 10/11/09, 04:45 PM

We just moved into our home a month ago, and I have been tearing up the raised beds of weeds (they are supposed to be beautiful flower beds, but totally untended for many years) and weed trees around the home. It goes around the home, than extends out the back for a ways, and also a few other beds by the garage. It's now mid October, and getting cold. I'm pulling these weeds by hand, unless they are actual trees or shrubs. I had a few people look at these (mom, amateur gardener, mom's friend, less amateur gardener, and arborist I know). Not much to save in way of trees, or plants. A few rose bushes. Most of anything of value is really bad off. Question is......huge multiterraced garden in the back overflowing with garlic chives and weeds. I don't know if I could make it through it all before the end of the season.......(I have other areas to do as well). Could I weedblast it and do something to it in the spring? Or is there a way to get rid of it (non-toxic) other than going weed by weed.??????? Just not sure I'm going to get to it all before it gets too cold.....Sue

Callieslamb · #2 10/11/09, 04:49 PM

You might just leave it until spring. If it isn't actively growing right now - something toxic wouldn't work anyway. If there is something you definately don't want - you ca get rid of that as you have time.

The season is over for me here anyway! You are lucky if you still have anytime!

Kathleen in WI · #3 10/11/09, 05:47 PM

How about spraying with vinegar and then covering with black plastic until spring. Or even just the vinegar should kill everything without nasty chemicals. Boiling water also kills plants but that may be difficult for large areas.

ronbre · #4 10/11/09, 06:09 PM

i suggest that you use round up on the entire garden..and then in a few days pile as much natural materials as you can on the entire thing..mulch, manure, straw, hay, compost, etc..then in the spring just dig holes in the mulch to plant

labrat · #5 10/11/09, 08:02 PM

I don't know if you have one but I might try a propane torch in this situation.

mare · #6 10/11/09, 08:20 PM

i'd wait until spring when the ground is softer and wetter (in the beds) and just pull things out by hand. if you can tell if there is little plants you can leave them go and see what happens, sometimes if things have room and dont have to fight for nutrients and water with the weeds they come back, maybe pull the plants and make sure the weed roots are gone and re-plant. it is alot of work but it can be done.

momtomany · #7 10/12/09, 12:19 AM

I'm just finding that the edges of the beds are all stone, and really pretty. All covered by tons of mulch.......So doing some digging. It is getting cold up here in Michigan this week. Not sure how far I'll get digging around. I may try the vinegar thing. They are already mulched (some in a good 2-3 inches deep). It has just done it's own thing soooo long. I haven't even asked about what to do with the vegetable garden that is HUGE, but full of mint up to my shoulder (didn't know it grew that long)........ I might consider the torch thing, but the area where the garlic chives are is gosh....25 feet long, and two tiers high and covered with mulch.......don't want to set it on fire??? Even if I torch it, won't the roots still be under the ground? BTW, I totally apologize for my lack of shift key, it's broke.

mommagoose_99 · #8 10/12/09, 02:37 AM

What does the vinegar do?
Linda

angelsprite · #9 10/12/09, 02:38 AM

Mom,
If it were mine, I would just ignore it until spring and then see what is left in fair weather, when you can go through it with a hand trowel or hoe and enjoy doing it. It's going to be too cold for you to enjoy it and if you do it now, you will end up killing things you would have wanted to keep. Then, when you go out to buy those things and replace them, you will see the money going out and regret having fooled with it during cold weather. In the spring, you will want to turn most of that mulch in. It's great for the soil and too much of it on top can cause vegetable plants to get root rot in wet weather. It will help keep plenty of oxygen in the soil and hold the moisture well in the summer if you turn it in.
It sounds like you have a really wonderful garden to play with. You should have a lot of fun with that in the growing season.
Where I am, we have a year round growing season, so we're still planting our fall garden and wouldn't you know it, the cold has already crept down here. It's only OCTOBER! Crazy weather.

7thswan · #10 10/12/09, 08:11 AM

Mommagoose, vinagar is a good weed killer. Mom to many, can you dig out what you want to keep. Then mow it, then till it all under, let it compost over the winter. If you can get some manure, put it right on top of the frozen ground. Then till again in the spring.

flowergurl · #11 10/12/09, 08:24 AM

If it were mine, I would weed eat it down for now. Everything except the roses that is.
Who knows what great plants could be hiding in there.
Come spring you can tackle it and decide what you want to keep and share or trade the plants you don't.
I run a plant trading website, and we trade plants in th e growing season.
If someone went to the trouble of building those nice stone walls for the beds, you can bet they put really nice plants in too.
Vinegar raises the acid levels above what a plant can tolerate. If you do use vinegar, try not to get it on the ground. It might kill plants that are dormant under the soil.

momtomany · #12 10/12/09, 08:44 AM

Roses are interspersed, so not sure vinegar would work. Nothing else of value left. The person who made the gardens hasn't lived here for 10 years. Person in between let them go dormant, most of stuff isn't useful. There are some lillies, but that's it. Weeds overpopulated it, and took over. I have one area that the vinegar might work..........how much would you put? There is only one good thing there, and that's the magnolia tree. You almost can't even get at it because of these bamboo like plants that are driving me bananas. Will the vinegar kill all in a region? Are we talking white vinegar? Sue

ronbre · #13 10/12/09, 09:28 AM

i thought you said there were no good plants in there except the roses..but if there are yes wait until spring to do anything..all the weeds have already gone to seed in Michigan anyway so they will all sprout and grow in the spring..remember any soil you turn will bring new weed seeds to the surface and cause them to grow too.

if you already have a good mulch..might just pull the top layer and then wait till spring to get to the rest.

good news..warmer the end of the week..brrrr today

momtomany · #14 10/12/09, 09:51 AM

Well, I don't like lillies. So I guess the estimation of their value is up to the estimator, lol. And they are in places where they have been planted without proper estimation of shade/sun. I think I may weed eat just to see what is under all the layer of weeds and just leave it till spring.

TurnerHill · #15 10/12/09, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by labrat

I don't know if you have one but I might try a propane torch in this situation.

I agree. Wait 'til frost has killed off the weeds, use a propane torch to burn them off (killing some but by no means all weed seeds in the process, and mulch heavily.

Make sure to provide some winter protection for the roses, too.

momtomany · #16 10/12/09, 11:26 AM

How should I protect the roses for the winter. Everything is already mulched heavily(done last year). Can I propane torch in that situation, or am I gonna set the mulch on fire????????

TurnerHill · #17 10/12/09, 12:37 PM

You build a sort of sandwich-board sign thing around them and stuff it with straw. Look around the place; they may have left some already made up.

What kind of mulch? It can't have been very effective...

The bamboo-like stuff is probably japanese knotweed. If so, it will laugh at vinegar. You will need glyphosate.

Wolf mom · #18 10/12/09, 01:37 PM

Yeah, I'm for burning dead weeds and also the few remaining growing ones. Not only is it the quickest, I find it kills a lot of the seeds that weed wacking doesn't. When spring comes, you'll be able to start fresh.

I mulch heavily with pine needles. But then my soil (?) is all clay. I rake them off in the spring & dig a bunch of mulch into the soil. Then after planiting, I recover with the pine needles.

momtomany · #19 10/12/09, 04:55 PM

mulch is made of wood. soil is dark and loamy and excellent. everything left on its own for many years, rose bushes I found under a bunch of weeds.

Maura · #20 10/12/09, 05:17 PM

Since nobody has tended the garden in a while and the roses are still there, I wouldn't worry about them. I'd pull out or cut the tall stuff and just mow over the beds. Then, I'd cover it all with a thick layer of newspaper and cardboard and leave it until summer. I might leave the chive bed alone. When you are ready to plant, just poke a hole through the newspaper layer. Look up lasagne gardening for more information on this. You will never be able to pull up all of the weeds. There are weed seeds in the gardens and weeds that grow by underground runners. Ick.

Don't use Round Up. It works when the plants are in strong growth, so it's really only useful in the spring. It's also been shown to not completely degrade.