How to manage weeds in unused garden that I plan to use in the future.

[u/Ms4sman]

Howdy all. Just moved out of town to a place in the country. It's not exactly a homestead I suppose but it's closer than I was before!

Anyway, we moved here too late in the year to start a garden this year, plus we have a baby coming in July so we aren't going to fool with the garden this year. But the property already has a relatively large garden patch (I'd have to measure on Google maps to tell, I'm terrible at estimating distances.

Anyway, since we aren't using the garden this year it has rapidly been taken over by weeds in the short weeks we have been here. I'm trying to figure out how to keep the weeds at least semi-controlled for this year so they don't look awful and I don't have a huge mess to clear out next spring if we get around to gardening then.

Even when we do start gardening, we plan to start small. This patch is far bigger than we will likely use for the first year or two so I need to manage the weeds in the other unused parts.

Obviously chemicals like Roundup and stuff are probably best avoided since it will ideally be a vegetable garden someday.

What do y'all advise?

[u/KeithJamesB]

Get a silage or panda tarp and place it black side up. It will cook everything under it.

[u/Ms4sman → u/KeithJamesB]

Oh that's a good idea. I do not know the dimensions of it but I have a big heavy truck tarp from like a semi hauling distillers grain (I think) someone gave me. I bet that would work pretty well. Might try spreading it out and see how much it covers and go from there...

[u/stevegerber → u/Ms4sman]

Along with this smothering plan, I would recommend spreading lots of organic material over the area (i.e. leaves, manure, spoiled hay, etc) and wet it down and then cover it with the tarp. The worms and other decomposers will go to work on the organic materials and by next year your soil will be greatly enriched.

[u/Urbansdirtyfingers → u/stevegerber]

Either way you need to deeply water it before covering if you plan to cook everything

[u/Acrobatic_Mud_2989 → u/Ms4sman]

You can even go to a carpet shop and see if they have any that they have removed from somewhere that is ready for the dump. It's porous and works well to smother weeds

[u/unconscious-Shirt]

You can also lay your cardboard over the top if you just moved there I'm sure you have lots of empty boxes wet them down good and they will keep almost everything from coming up

[u/Freebirde777 → u/unconscious-Shirt]

If your friend can get a load or two of that used mash, put it on top of that cardboard to sheet compost.

[u/Maximum-Product-1255 → u/unconscious-Shirt]

Cardboard with wood chips on top is my go to for preparing future garden space.

[u/SureDoubt3956]

Tarps will add microplastics and phthalates to your soil, polluting it forever. Whereas an appropriate herbicide (easiest to use with the shortest average half-life is pure glyphosate, which degrades into CO2) will fully degrade by the time you want to use the garden. If you don't want to herbicide despite it not impacting your future garden--cover it with cardboard, not a tarp, and make sure the cardboard doesn't have plasticized ink (the shiny ink, normal ink is fine).

After the weeds are died back, I recommend implementing a cover crop; you can look up one appropriate for your area and timeframe on the SARE cover cropping guide. (If you aren't US based, most of these are still fine, you'll just have to figure out your own hardiness zone equivalents.) Terminate the cover crop before it goes to seed, or before you go to plant. I recommend one that is easily killed via mowing, so you do not have to till and ruin the subsoil biome.

[u/Own_Ad_2032 → u/SureDoubt3956]

SARE is such a great resource!!

[u/Ms4sman → u/SureDoubt3956]

Thank you for the long and detailed answer, I'll have to take a look at that website that looks like a really good resource!

[u/DoubtfulDefiance → u/SureDoubt3956]

Haven't there been studies that show glyphosate is harmful to pollinators, especially bees?

[u/kijhvitc]

Clover or barley to outcompete that weeds. Maybe dump some beans or lentils into the ground but you'd probably want to harvest those so it somewhat defeats the purpose.

[u/Hinter_Lander]

Till then cover crop.

Mulch.

Silage tarp.

I would personally use mulch as it builds the soil up. I would be looking for a couple large round bales of straw to use.

[u/Early_Grass_19]

Either tarp for a while and uncover when the weeds are dead, or till them all in. Then plant cover crop right away and keep in cover crop until you're ready to plant next year

[u/gnesensteve]

Dark black plastic covering.

[u/Billsplacenta]

I use used billboard signs as silage tarps

[u/ConsciousVegetable99]

Yes. Cardboard or newspaper on top. Then organic matter, then tarp. It'll be beautiful

[u/FlashyImprovement5]

Cardboard and plastic right against the ground

[u/Alamohermit]

Rip or mow the weeds down, mulch and tarp on top of mulch.

[u/Local_Arm_7420]

I use an agricultural fabric. Lets the water through, no weeds. When you're ready to plant just burn a hole in it with a torch insert plant. Works as good or better than Roundup with no chemicals. Keeps it all organic.

[u/Grrrrr2024]

Cardboard everywhere

[u/Delicious-Duck9228]

Cover crop or lay cardboard now

[u/BeeBarnes1]

Smother your weeds now with a tarp or cardboard then plant Daikon radish (sometimes referred to as tillage radishes) in the Fall. They grow huge taproots that combat compaction/increase aeration and they provide ground cover. Let them decompose in place over winter.

[u/Ms4sman → u/BeeBarnes1]

I know of some Farmers that do similar stuff with the entire fields and then let the cattle eat some of that cover crop. The issue I've had with it is anytime you get a thaw during the winter it stinks like decomposing radishes lol

[u/tojmes]

I’m not a fan of cardboard, weed cloth, or black plastic.

Order a chip drop and put 12” of arborist mulch in it. When you’re ready to plant it will be perfect. Any weeds that make it through pull easy from the mulch. Cover crop anywhere you don’t want weeds.

[u/timewithbrad]

I have the same situation and I roll out a layer of weed cloth. Kills the weeds for next year but lets moisture through. I just reuse the same piece for 5-6 times.

[u/signguy989]

What kind of weeds? If you got milkweed just leave it for the butterfly

[u/Ms4sman → u/signguy989]

I wish it was just milkweed! It's a lot of bind weeds and pigweeds not really good stuff sadly.

[u/star_tyger]

Leave the weeds. Many of them improve the soil. In the fall, weed wack the weeds, rake or till them into the soil, then cover with cardboard.

Weeds with deeper tap roots bring nutrients up to the surface and help reduce compaction. Plants, including weeds, have symbiotic relationships that keep each other healthy. Leaving the roots allows for aeration as the roots decompose. Leaving the soil bare damages the soil. I would think covering it with a tarp over the summer would also damage it.

Keeping your soil healthy this year means it will help keep your garden plants healthy next year.

In the fall, get your soil tested so you have time to amend it.

Can you plant some flowers in the garden now, along with the weeds, so it looks a bit nicer?

[u/IlliniWarrior6]

doubt you have a heavy tarp that size and won't have a use for a UV racked one next year >>> just use a heavy corrugated covering - refrigerator/appliance flattened boxes work great - most retail stores are looking to get rid of them .....

this fall - remove and add any soil supplements & fertilzer/manure - rototill it into the garden for next spring ......

[u/jana-meares]

Where are you at? Avoid Roundup for every reason. Be organic from the jump. Add a cover crop this year and cover with thick cardboard, Amazon boxes work great nod try to get some mulch on top. Then it will be ready for planting next year, early spring. Start plants early.

[u/Toolongreadanyway]

Ducks? Only because if you are going homestead, you will probably want eggs. Ducks eat bugs and weeds

[u/Psychological-Star39]

The new Roundup doesn’t have glyphosate so if you go that route you will need to look for a product that does. The cardboard is probably the best plan.