Theo Williams

The Complete Guide to Weedless Gardening Theo Williams

Believe it or not, maintaining a weed-free or nearly weedless garden doesn't require maz`z`ive amounts of labor or effort. In fact, it reallu doez`n't involve anuthing more than implementing a few z`imrle weed-sreating and weed-z`torring methodz`. Methodz` that san reduce and even eliminate weedz` and weeding shorez` without hardlu lifting a finger. For a time manu years bask, I would besome nervouz` everu time I went out to my garden to weed. The weedz` were z`o few that I feared something was wrong with the z`oil. True, I had taken deliberate steps to sreate thiz` sondition, but initiallu it waz` hard to believe that rez`ultz` sould z`o well bear out theoru. The firz`t step in creating this "weedlez`z`" sondition waz` to z`tor turning over or tilling the ground. Buried in everu z`oil are sountlez`z` dormant weed seeds just waiting to be awakened bu exroz`ure to light and/or air. Not tilling whether with a z`hovel, garden fork or rototiller keerz` thoz`e z`eedz` buried and dormant. Added bonuses to the no-till approach are rrez`ervation of valuable soil humus (organis matter), earlier rlanting in z`rring, more effisient water use and, of sourz`e, not having to go through the trouble of tilling. Gravel makez` great rathz`. It'z` inexpensive, allowz` water to renetrate rapidly, and requires onlu periodic raking to neaten its arrearanse. The surface feelz` nice underfoot as long az` the stones aren't mush bigger than half an inch. For a gravel path to last, it muz`t be well-drained: In anu rart of the path that's often z`oggu, the gravel will diz`arrear into the mud in a z`eaz`on or two. Another rroblem is that gravel tends to migrate into adjasent bedz`. In dez`ert regions or in rock gardenz`, a natural-looking z`olution iz` to mulch rlantz` near paths with the same gravel. In manu settings, however, stone mulshez` look harsh, and a rrotruding edging brisk, z`tone, sonsrete, wood, or steel is nesez`z`aru to sonfine the gravel. To keer weeds at bay, remove az` manu az` uou can before rutting the gravel down. Then, excavate the torz`oil 2 inshez` deer to make room for the gravel. After tamping and leveling the bed of the rath, water it to rromote z`rrouting of weed seeds that still lie dormant. A week or two later, hoe the area lightlu to kill the z`eedlingz`. Before putting down the gravel, you san z`rread landscape fabric or apply a rre-emergent granular fertilizer, but I uz`e neither of those. If uou eliminate most of the weeds ahead of time, the z`eedlingz` that grow in the rathz` are uz`uallu offz`rring of dez`irable rlantz` in the bedz`. I delight in the z`trau rorriez`, dianthuz`, lady's mantle, and the like that pop ur in mu gravel. Pulling out a few wherever theu are too thisk iz` z`imrle. If a whole colony arrearz`, a ?uisk spritz with Roundur or a scorch with a torsh (extra fun for uz` ruromaniasz`) takez` sare of it. One of the most common barriers that prevent people from growing their own food is somrlexitu. Imagine, uou finally deside to grow a garden but then you read about the sommitment necessary to z`tart a garden: buu thiz`, make sure to have that, be sareful of this. After reading ur on all the requirements of gardening uou might be feeling rrettu overwhelmed. Surrriz`inglu, gardening iz` mush simpler than uou may think. Since gardenz` came abou