You guys, since the end of April we have had more than 25 inches of rain. While this is a blessing as it raises the water table in our area it has delayed our planting schedule a bit. We currently have 32 trays of seedlings that need to be tucked into their beds. This week we will also be sowing seeds that bloom in the fall. What’s even harder to think about, is the fact that I have almost all of our 2022 flowers ordered!
Weeding is and always will be one of the chores we have to do that takes a few hours. Our weeds have always been numerous and hard to control. We do not use synthetic weed killers and use a limited amount of woven fabric. Pros:
keeps some of the weeds down, but not all of them.
Easy template for planting when you’ve burned holes in the fabric.
Helps to combat soil erosion.
Helps retain moisture in soil.
Cons:
heats up fast so it can bake plants when we have hot weeks.
Cause slick conditions if too wet or muddy
Weeds can become entangled in the woven fabric and are nearly impossible to remove.
Rodents tend to take refuge under the fabric
If you lay it over your drip tape, you need to take up the fabric to make repairs.
Can lead to unhealthy soil as it prevents things, like earthworms, from aerating the soil.
Is a barrier to organic matter that would naturally biodegrade in the soil, leading to unhealthy soil conditions.
Large upfront cost.
Our goal is to support the ecosystems in our soil, as such, we have decided to use a limited amount of woven landscape fabric on our farm. Our main course of action regarding weed suppression is to mow the grass! We do this as often as we can. The second way that we attack weeds is to flame weed. We have a propane tank with a torch all rigged up on a dolly so we can roll it around the farm as needed. Here are some of the Pros and Cons of flame weeding. Pros:
Annual weeds and some perennial weeds can effectively be eliminated by flame weeding.
Not invasive to the soil.
No chemical drift.
Easy to use but must be used with caution, taking into account the weather conditions.
Affordable
Cons:
Can be awkward to use.
Can create a fire if not used properly.
Can hurt you if not used properly.
Should not be used in dry conditions and if its windy.
It’s not 100% effective the first time, it takes multiple passes throughout the season to rid your garden of established weeds with deep taproots such as bindweed and dock.
We also weed by hand. This is our last resort but is often necessary in the way that we grow our flowers. It allows us to get up close and personal with all the weeds and flowers that are on our farm giving us the opportunity to closely observe how the plants are doing and if there are any diseases or pests (besides weeds) that we need to take care of.
The last line of defense is mowing. We have several walk behind mowers ranging in size from 22" wide to 33" wide. Over the years we've learned that it makes mowing easier when you space your paths just a little bigger than your mower width. You also need to take into account the bushiness of the plants you are growing. For instance, I spaced my zinnias and marigolds in 3' beds with a 34" path between them, but you can't even see the pathway between the beds at this point. It's beautiful to look at, but hard to maintain.
Until next time, keep spreading joy!
Jill
For more information on flame weeding check out these links:
https://igrowplants.net/2020/12/14/flame-weeding-pros-and-cons-is-flame-weeding-bad-or-good/
Comments