Hi

I've got a decent size garden but its growing plenty of weeds at the moment on bare soil, there is no grass or lawn, just weeds everywhere.

Also the garden is uneven and to level it I'm planning to put 15cm of topsoil on top of existing soil once weeds removed.

Could someone advice what will be the best solution to remove these weeds permanently. I initially cut them down but they have grown back pretty fast.

I'm based in southeast if that helps.

Once it gets leveled and weeds removed, I'm planning to put turf.

I'm very new to this gardening so please advice as much as you can.

Thanks.

In article ,
RK77 wrote:

Hi

I've got a decent size garden but its growing plenty of weeds at the
moment on bare soil, there is no grass or lawn, just weeds everywhere.


Also the garden is uneven and to level it I'm planning to put 15cm of
topsoil on top of existing soil once weeds removed.

Could someone advice what will be the best solution to remove these
weeds permanently. I initially cut them down but they have grown back
pretty fast.

I'm based in southeast if that helps.

Once it gets leveled and weeds removed, I'm planning to put turf.

I'm very new to this gardening so please advice as much as you can.

Thanks.

A bit confusing. You use the words gardening and turf interchangeably. I
presume that you mean that a lawn is going to be an integral part of a
garden which will include other decorative plants. There is nothing that
will sterilize the soil this side of nuking it and turning it into glass.
There are plenty of chemicals that are quick and expensive that will
kill the weeds, the ecology beneath the surface of the soil, possibly
some birds, the occasional fish as well, as well as finding its' way
into the ground water, and the drinking water of others, effecting the
development of fetuses, and young children.

I would urge you to be a good steward of the land and find a nursery
that could help you establish an organic lawn (much as our new president
has established an organic garden to feed his family. He could have
easily grown a garden using commercial chemicals that have been approved
for consumption, even though consumer advocates decry their toxicity.

An organic lawn preserves the rich natural life of the soil, and won't
become a matter of concern to young family members or your neighbors.
Indeed, an organic lawn will let people know that you are a forward
thinking person and not just another dumb sod.

It should be said that weeds are simply plants that you don't want to
have. Some like the dandelion are both food and medicine.
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants....cum+officinale
See if you can't identify other plants and their benefits before
exterminating them.

To control weeds in the the short term, place newspaper or cardboard
over them. This will look horrible, so place mulch over the paper.
If you can use lucerne (alfalfa), that would be very beneficial to
whatever you plan to subsequently plant, be it shrub, lawn, or
vegetables because it also contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
(3-1-2). After a couple of week, you could roll it flat and broadcast
your lawn seed onto it. Water it in and wait. You may need to re-seed
areas, where the grass is thin, but it will grow in. You will have
avoided poisoning the ground, the environment, your neighbors, and the
rest of the world. And it will be cheaper than buying chemicals.

But do find a good nursery that can answer questions that relate to
organic gardening and your local area.

Cheers ;O)
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072040.html

On Sat, 9 May 2009 01:44:26 +0100, RK77
wrote:


Hi

I've got a decent size garden but its growing plenty of weeds at the
moment on bare soil, there is no grass or lawn, just weeds everywhere.


Also the garden is uneven and to level it I'm planning to put 15cm of
topsoil on top of existing soil once weeds removed.

Could someone advice what will be the best solution to remove these
weeds permanently. I initially cut them down but they have grown back
pretty fast.

I'm based in southeast if that helps.

Once it gets leveled and weeds removed, I'm planning to put turf.

I'm very new to this gardening so please advice as much as you can.

Thanks.


There are several ways to eliminate weeds. I hand weed up close to
plants, especially delicate plants, then use a hoe. Hand picking
weeds is done best after a rain so you can pull out the entire root.
If your hoe is dull, sharpen it up using a metal file. A mulch will
help keep weeds down, but weeds eventually return. Weeding is part of
gardening, probably not the most enjoyable task for gardeners.