I'm making my preparations for spring. I have a decent-sized
herb/vegetable bed, about 15X6 that over the last two growing seasons
has been progressively more infected by bindweed. I can't clear it and
cover it with black plastic to cut out the light and raise the soil
temp like my other veggie beds because I have perennial asparagus,
thyme, savory and a few others. I don't use chemicals and I'd never
use them on food crops.
So, I plan to go over my lawn with corn gluten once the soil
temperature hits 60 to snuff out any transient weed seeds. Does anyone
know whether dosing this bed with gluten at the same would check the
bindweed? (I don't grow from seed in this bed so I'm not concerned
about stopping germination of things I want, and in zone 5b, it will
probably be a month or more between the application of the gluten to
when I'm ready to plant plugs, so I can't see it inhibiting any root
growth later on.)
BTW, my philosophy of planting is that if I can still see soil by
mid-June, things haven't been planted close enough. Bindweed is the
only weed that can grow out if the shade of my tomatoes and other
plants in the summer and I despise it.
Thoughts?

(Dataminder) wrote in message m...
I'm making my preparations for spring. I have a decent-sized
herb/vegetable bed, about 15X6 that over the last two growing seasons
has been progressively more infected by bindweed. I can't clear it and
cover it with black plastic to cut out the light and raise the soil
temp like my other veggie beds because I have perennial asparagus,
thyme, savory and a few others. I don't use chemicals and I'd never
use them on food crops.
So, I plan to go over my lawn with corn gluten once the soil
temperature hits 60 to snuff out any transient weed seeds. Does anyone
know whether dosing this bed with gluten at the same would check the
bindweed? (I don't grow from seed in this bed so I'm not concerned

I am as organic as the next guy, but given the situation, would it not
be best for you to just go around the plot with a paintbrush and a
bottle of roundup, and paint a drop or two on a leaf of each bindweed
plant? We are talking about tiny amounts of Roundup. I have had a
bottle for five years, I use it to control poison ivy over two acres,
and it is still 80% full.

(Dataminder) wrote in message m...
I'm making my preparations for spring. I have a decent-sized
herb/vegetable bed, about 15X6 that over the last two growing seasons
has been progressively more infected by bindweed. I can't clear it and
cover it with black plastic to cut out the light and raise the soil
temp like my other veggie beds because I have perennial asparagus,
thyme, savory and a few others. I don't use chemicals and I'd never
use them on food crops.
So, I plan to go over my lawn with corn gluten once the soil
temperature hits 60 to snuff out any transient weed seeds. Does anyone
know whether dosing this bed with gluten at the same would check the
bindweed? (I don't grow from seed in this bed so I'm not concerned

I am as organic as the next guy, but given the situation, would it not
be best for you to just go around the plot with a paintbrush and a
bottle of roundup, and paint a drop or two on a leaf of each bindweed
plant? We are talking about tiny amounts of Roundup. I have had a
bottle for five years, I use it to control poison ivy over two acres,
and it is still 80% full.

On 4 Mar 2004 12:34:39 -0800, (Dataminder) opined:

I'm making my preparations for spring. I have a decent-sized
herb/vegetable bed, about 15X6 that over the last two growing seasons
has been progressively more infected by bindweed. I can't clear it and
cover it with black plastic to cut out the light and raise the soil
temp like my other veggie beds because I have perennial asparagus,
thyme, savory and a few others. I don't use chemicals and I'd never
use them on food crops.
So, I plan to go over my lawn with corn gluten once the soil
temperature hits 60 to snuff out any transient weed seeds. Does anyone
know whether dosing this bed with gluten at the same would check the
bindweed? (I don't grow from seed in this bed so I'm not concerned
about stopping germination of things I want, and in zone 5b, it will
probably be a month or more between the application of the gluten to
when I'm ready to plant plugs, so I can't see it inhibiting any root
growth later on.)
BTW, my philosophy of planting is that if I can still see soil by
mid-June, things haven't been planted close enough. Bindweed is the
only weed that can grow out if the shade of my tomatoes and other
plants in the summer and I despise it.
Thoughts?

You will have success with the pre-emergent properties on bindweed, but it may
not fully happen to all seeds at first. It may take a few applications over a
few seasons to fully work in that bed.

I don't use Round-up for any reason, but I am going to say Finale, another
herbicide, is a better choice for organic gardeners who need to step over the
line.

In essence, I believe if you are persistent by pulling immediately and using the
corn gluten at the recommended rate and frequency, you can get the bindweed into
control.

Victoria

On 4 Mar 2004 12:34:39 -0800, (Dataminder) opined:

I'm making my preparations for spring. I have a decent-sized
herb/vegetable bed, about 15X6 that over the last two growing seasons
has been progressively more infected by bindweed. I can't clear it and
cover it with black plastic to cut out the light and raise the soil
temp like my other veggie beds because I have perennial asparagus,
thyme, savory and a few others. I don't use chemicals and I'd never
use them on food crops.
So, I plan to go over my lawn with corn gluten once the soil
temperature hits 60 to snuff out any transient weed seeds. Does anyone
know whether dosing this bed with gluten at the same would check the
bindweed? (I don't grow from seed in this bed so I'm not concerned
about stopping germination of things I want, and in zone 5b, it will
probably be a month or more between the application of the gluten to
when I'm ready to plant plugs, so I can't see it inhibiting any root
growth later on.)
BTW, my philosophy of planting is that if I can still see soil by
mid-June, things haven't been planted close enough. Bindweed is the
only weed that can grow out if the shade of my tomatoes and other
plants in the summer and I despise it.
Thoughts?

You will have success with the pre-emergent properties on bindweed, but it may
not fully happen to all seeds at first. It may take a few applications over a
few seasons to fully work in that bed.

I don't use Round-up for any reason, but I am going to say Finale, another
herbicide, is a better choice for organic gardeners who need to step over the
line.

In essence, I believe if you are persistent by pulling immediately and using the
corn gluten at the recommended rate and frequency, you can get the bindweed into
control.

Victoria