"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
brooklyn1 wrote:

I don't believe SteveB has a 2 acre garden, in fact I don't believe he
has any size garden or has ever had any garden, and probably once he
wakes up from his beer fogged trailer trash dream and realizes what
gardening is about he will never have a garden... no one who has a 2 acre
garden (that's a farm, folks) would ever ask such questions about killing
grass and weeds with Roundup defolient... a person could feed a family of
four with veggies from the market for two years for the price of enough
Roundup to treat 2 acres. A person can easily feed a family of four (and
two other families of four) veggies all year from a 1/16 acre garden and
not pay a cent for any chemicals whatsoever... Steve couldn't afford to
treat a 2 acre garden with H2O. When I read of people with their claims
of 4 1/2 acre and 2 acre gardens (none have ever posted a photo) I
seriously wonder if folks here have any concept of what's an acre of
garden.



He never said he had a 2 acre garden. He said he has 2+ acres and uses
Roundup, and he's getting ready to put in a garden.


He certainly did refer to his 2 acre garden... why would someone mention 2
acres in reference to a garden when they are putting in say a 10' X 10'
plot?!?!? Actually he did say he already has a garden, a "weedy" garden
_"My garden is weedy. I'm tilling it and preparing it to plant. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I waited a long time, I know."_ He led folks to believe he has
a 2 acre garden that is all weedy and he was asking if it was okay to get
rid of the weeds in his garden with Roundup... it is quite clear that his
intent was to lead folks to believe he has a weedy 2 acre garden. Had he
truly wanted suggestion about how to weed his garden (which many offered) an
honest person would have said right from the gitgo what size area (he said 2
acres), otherwise no one could offer help except some generalizations and
mostly wild speculation. Just like the last person who boasted that she
had a 4 1/2 acre garden but when I asked her to post pictures of her garden
she didn't deny it but instead posted pictures of all sorts of things but
none of any garden (probably a neighbor's property). People on usenet are
smarmy, they make all sorts of wildly exaggerated claims and tell down right
lies... very few are who they say they are. Many of the pictures folks post
are not of their garden and/or not of anything they themselves did. It's
easy to post a picture of someone elses garden, or some landscaper was paid
to do and then claim they did it, and cameras are very portable so anyone
can take a shot of a garden across town, and it's very easy to lift an image
off the net... when someone posts a pictures of fully cropped flowers I
wonder where they stole those images.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
news:KURRl.1176
If you're growing food at home, what's the point of taking the same risks
as commercial farmers and exposing yourself to chemicals which have not
and will never be tested for safety? Why do all that work to end up with
essentially the same result?

I always wonder the same thing. I hear so often of people growing their own
vegetables because they don't want the chemical-laden crap that you get tat
the store, yet they plant them in plots that have been chemically treated,
and sometimes even use pesticides around them. Why not just save the
expense and trouble and get them at the store?
--S.

"Frank" wrote in message news:631b4004-3cc0-475c-acf5-
4 x 8 sheets of plywood laid over the plot to smother
the weeds would be effective -- and lay out perfect
garden beds at the same time.
_________________________

That's a GREAT idea for a new garden plot! I'd follow it up with cardboard
& mulch, though, to keep the most hardy weeds down during the growing season
AND to add some organic stuff to the soil when it decomposes.
--S.

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

I had a 1/4 acre garden when I lived in Texas. (and I used RoundUp to
spot treat the Bermudagrass that kept sneaking in.) It was a huge garden
(IMHO) and was pretty much unmanageable until I discovered drip
irrigation.

Drip irrigation is the best invention, EVER. Because of it, I get to plant
my entire front yard in corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and only have to work
about ten minutes a day on it.
--S.

"Suzanne D." wrote in message
...

"Frank" wrote in message news:631b4004-3cc0-475c-acf5-
4 x 8 sheets of plywood laid over the plot to smother
the weeds would be effective -- and lay out perfect
garden beds at the same time.
_________________________

That's a GREAT idea for a new garden plot! I'd follow it up with
cardboard & mulch, though, to keep the most hardy weeds down during the
growing season AND to add some organic stuff to the soil when it
decomposes.


Unless one already has the plywood exterior ply doesn't come cheap... and a
4' X 8" plot is not much gardening space... I'd not bother with less than
six sheets. And you still need to till, pick rocks, rake, amend, and till
and rake again, and again. Killing the weeds by smothering or with
chemicals is a total waste of time, labor, and money... there is NO labor
free gardening. A good deep rototilling will dispatch any weeds/grass so
that those will never grow again... and NEW weeds are inevitable forever.
I've been preparing my garden for planting for two days now, I hope to
finish tomorrow and I plan to plant this weekend. Gardening is always work,
a lot of work.

"SteveB" wrote in message
...
My garden is weedy. I'm tilling it and preparing it to plant. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I waited a long time, I know.

I have what seems to be Bermuda grass or a variant. Stuff that has a
spreading root system. Hundreds of other garden variety weeds. I till
and till, and rake out the weeds and roots, but I know I won't get them
all.

I use Roundup on my 2+ acre spread. I have heard that it only kills what
it comes in contact with, and doesn't work once it hits the soil. I'd
like to know if it is safe to use in the garden on the weedy areas, or
will it stay in there after I plant. Other suggestions for weed control
that is plant friendly would be appreciated.

Steve


Think of Bermuda grass along the same lines as the movie "Terminator". It
never, ever stops. You can't ever kill it entirely. It always comes back
with a vengeance.

Roundup is only temporary. Does not affect this type of grass's root
system. Overlays such as plywood, newspaper and the like, it just either
penetrates it or goes around to the perimeter. Just my personal
experiences.

Even the newsgroup website link pointer fanatic is confused here.
--
Dave

"Suzanne D." wrote:

Drip irrigation is the best invention, EVER. Because of it, I get to
plant my entire front yard in corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and only have
to work about ten minutes a day on it.

Ten minutes a day... you must hold the record for the smallest garden.

In article ,
"Dioclese" NONE wrote:

Even the newsgroup website link pointer fanatic is confused here.

I don't need to be characterized by a flange head. Don't you ever get
anything right?

When I post a cite, it says there are at least other people who support
a position.

When you give your opinions, you are all alone.
--

- 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=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

On May 23, 1:25 pm, "brooklyn1" wrote:
"Suzanne D." wrote in message

...

"Frank" wrote in message news:631b4004-3cc0-475c-acf5-
4 x 8 sheets of plywood laid over the plot to smother
the weeds would be effective -- and lay out perfect
garden beds at the same time.
_________________________

That's a GREAT idea for a new garden plot! I'd follow it up with
cardboard & mulch, though, to keep the most hardy weeds down during the
growing season AND to add some organic stuff to the soil when it
decomposes.

Unless one already has the plywood exterior ply doesn't come cheap... and a
4' X 8" plot is not much gardening space... I'd not bother with less than
six sheets. And you still need to till, pick rocks, rake, amend, and till
and rake again, and again. Killing the weeds by smothering or with
chemicals is a total waste of time, labor, and money... there is NO labor
free gardening. A good deep rototilling will dispatch any weeds/grass so
that those will never grow again... and NEW weeds are inevitable forever.
I've been preparing my garden for planting for two days now, I hope to
finish tomorrow and I plan to plant this weekend. Gardening is always work,
a lot of work.

It was always a lot of work for me too until I read Ruth Stout No-Work
Garden Book 30 years ago, what an eye opener. I just planted this
years crop, took about 5 minutes , just push aside the leaves and
planted the seed and covered it up. No tilling, fertilizing, I didn't
even bother to water, rain is expected soon. (for yield I get about 25
pounds of beans from a 4x8 size area, don't know if that is good or
not). I don't stake tomatoes either.

The secret is just to keep your soil covered with organic material 365
days a year like mother nature does, she'll take care of the rest
(weeding, fertilizing, watering etc)

wrote:
On May 23, 1:25 pm, "brooklyn1" wrote:
"Suzanne D." wrote in message

...

"Frank" wrote in message news:631b4004-3cc0-475c-acf5-
4 x 8 sheets of plywood laid over the plot to smother
the weeds would be effective -- and lay out perfect
garden beds at the same time.
_________________________
That's a GREAT idea for a new garden plot! I'd follow it up with
cardboard & mulch, though, to keep the most hardy weeds down during the
growing season AND to add some organic stuff to the soil when it
decomposes.
Unless one already has the plywood exterior ply doesn't come cheap... and a
4' X 8" plot is not much gardening space... I'd not bother with less than
six sheets. And you still need to till, pick rocks, rake, amend, and till
and rake again, and again. Killing the weeds by smothering or with
chemicals is a total waste of time, labor, and money... there is NO labor
free gardening. A good deep rototilling will dispatch any weeds/grass so
that those will never grow again... and NEW weeds are inevitable forever.
I've been preparing my garden for planting for two days now, I hope to
finish tomorrow and I plan to plant this weekend. Gardening is always work,
a lot of work.

It was always a lot of work for me too until I read Ruth Stout No-Work
Garden Book 30 years ago, what an eye opener. I just planted this
years crop, took about 5 minutes , just push aside the leaves and
planted the seed and covered it up. No tilling, fertilizing, I didn't
even bother to water, rain is expected soon. (for yield I get about 25
pounds of beans from a 4x8 size area, don't know if that is good or
not). I don't stake tomatoes either.

The secret is just to keep your soil covered with organic material 365
days a year like mother nature does, she'll take care of the rest
(weeding, fertilizing, watering etc)



If I was starting a new garden plot, I would spray one time with Roundup
(actually, probably a generic equivalent) in late spring when the weeds
and grass are growing good. Then that first year I would transplant in
warm season crops like tomatoes and peppers and eggplant, disturbing the
soil as little as possible. Mulch heavily with shredded paper and
leaves and other carbon-rich matter, supplying nitrogen as necessary
just to the plants (mostly in the form of diluted urine.) Keep adding
mulch as it disappears. Any weeds that come up will be starved for
nitrogen (by the decomposing mulch) until you get a chance to pull them
out. Just toss them on top to die and go back in the soil eventually.

Let the earthworms till the soil instead of you, and the dormant weed
seeds will stay dormant. You'll probably never have to use the Roundup
again. By the second year, you can probably grow beans and squash and
other direct-sown crops.

Bob

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

If I was starting a new garden plot, I would spray one time with Roundup
(actually, probably a generic equivalent) in late spring when the weeds
and grass are growing good.

Why, when in most cases, newspaper and mulch will accomplish the same
thing?
--

- 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=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

In article
,
" wrote:

On May 23, 1:25 pm, "brooklyn1" wrote:
"Suzanne D." wrote in message

...

"Frank" wrote in message news:631b4004-3cc0-475c-acf5-
4 x 8 sheets of plywood laid over the plot to smother
the weeds would be effective -- and lay out perfect
garden beds at the same time.
_________________________

That's a GREAT idea for a new garden plot! I'd follow it up with
cardboard & mulch, though, to keep the most hardy weeds down during the
growing season AND to add some organic stuff to the soil when it
decomposes.

Unless one already has the plywood exterior ply doesn't come cheap... and a
4' X 8" plot is not much gardening space... I'd not bother with less than
six sheets. And you still need to till, pick rocks, rake, amend, and till
and rake again, and again. Killing the weeds by smothering or with
chemicals is a total waste of time, labor, and money... there is NO labor
free gardening. A good deep rototilling will dispatch any weeds/grass so
that those will never grow again... and NEW weeds are inevitable forever.
I've been preparing my garden for planting for two days now, I hope to
finish tomorrow and I plan to plant this weekend. Gardening is always work,
a lot of work.

It was always a lot of work for me too until I read Ruth Stout No-Work
Garden Book 30 years ago, what an eye opener. I just planted this
years crop, took about 5 minutes , just push aside the leaves and
planted the seed and covered it up. No tilling, fertilizing, I didn't
even bother to water, rain is expected soon. (for yield I get about 25
pounds of beans from a 4x8 size area, don't know if that is good or
not). I don't stake tomatoes either.

The secret is just to keep your soil covered with organic material 365
days a year like mother nature does, she'll take care of the rest
(weeding, fertilizing, watering etc)

I presume you do crop rotation, and that is why you needn't fertilize?
--

- 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=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html

On Sat, 23 May 2009 16:36:22 GMT, against all advice, something
compelled "brooklyn1" , to say:

He certainly did refer to his 2 acre garden



Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.


Who gives a shit? I mean, besides you.




--

Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will
have to ram it down their throats.
- Howard Aiken

"brooklyn1" wrote in message
...

"Suzanne D." wrote:

Drip irrigation is the best invention, EVER. Because of it, I get to
plant my entire front yard in corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and only
have to work about ten minutes a day on it.

Ten minutes a day... you must hold the record for the smallest garden.

Not at all. My entire front yard is about 60 feet long. (I've got 120
hills of corn, and about 100 cucumber plants along the front fence.) My
back yard has eighteen 3X6 foot raised beds, plus a six-foot round 3-tiered
herb garden, and a bean house that is about 10 feet on each of four sides.
And I have about 20 fruit and nut trees, plus odd vegetables stuck randomly
throughout the yard, such as on trellises and along the decks. (I like
edible landscaping!) Watering the majority of the garden takes as long as
necessary to turn a couple of spigots, plus hand-watering three or four of
the beds every day. Of course, the initial laying-down of the drip lines
took a long time, but now that everything is in place, it just takes a few
minutes to make sure everything gets watered.
--S.

"brooklyn1" wrote in message news:%YYRl.312
Unless one already has the plywood exterior ply doesn't come cheap... and
a 4' X 8" plot is not much gardening space... I'd not bother with less
than six sheets. And you still need to till, pick rocks, rake, amend, and
till and rake again, and again.

Well, no you wouldn't. If you start off by smothering the grasses with
plywood or some other solid surface, then you shouldn't till at all after
that. Tilling will just bring the submerged weed seeds to the surface and
you'll have the same problem over again. It's much better to smother
everything under where you want to plant (letting the old plants rot and add
nutrients to the soil), and then build on top of that to make new,
relatively weed-free soil. This is why I would advocate cardboard instead
of plywood (since cardboard can be left in place to decompose), but the
plywood *IS* a good idea if you can get it and don't mind moving it when it
comes time to plant.

A good deep rototilling will dispatch any weeds/grass so that those will
never grow again...

A good, deep rototilling will also dredge up dormant weed seeds and bring
them back to life. With my clayey, weedy soil, I have found it infinitely
better to leave the tiller in the garage, and just pile organic stuff on top
of cardboard to make rich, fertile garden plots that are virtually
weed-free.
--S.