Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

It's getting near time to plant some tomatos, onion, peas, etc. I'm
planning on expanding my tiny garden into some of the lawn area. I'll
get rid of some of the grass (and weeds) and then turn and add peat
moss to the soil. Then, I'm thinking of just putting down some of that
Weed Blocker stuff and put some holes through for the plants.

It seems too lazy to be morally correct, but I really hate weeding. Is
there some other reason, other than a Puritan upbringing, which
suggests that weed blocker is not a reasonable idea?

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

dgk said:

I'll get rid of some of the grass (and weeds) and then turn and add peat
moss to the soil.

Because "Tomato Bob" told you too. lol

Did you get your soil tested, as you said you were going to do?

--

Eggs

-Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 18:44:56 -0500, Eggs Zachtly
wrote:

dgk said:

I'll get rid of some of the grass (and weeds) and then turn and add peat
moss to the soil.

Because "Tomato Bob" told you too. lol

Did you get your soil tested, as you said you were going to do?

I did indeed. The guy said it was fine soil for planting almost
anything. He suggested starting with some lime and then a
vegetable/fruit fertilizer every six weeks.

The peas were growing really quickly indoors so I put a few of them
outside, along with some romaine and onions that I got at Garden
World. It's likely too early for the peas but I'll see how they do.
The rest have been transplanted to pots and will go out soon.

I started ripping up some lawn area to use for tomatos. That's tough
work. I figure I'll rip up about a 12 by 5 foot area - much tougher
than it looks.

I did try some of the weed blocker material and it will likely be ok
for the tomato section of the garden, but is too unwieldy for things
like onions where you need a lot of holes. Once you put it down, it's
difficult to put plants in. When you need to put in plants 4" apart in
rows 12" apart it's difficult to work with. And I think the squirrels
will rip it to shreds.

What's the problem with peat moss? Oh. This?

http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/...peat-moss.html


I thought the whole purpose of the stuff was to retain water in the
soil. Now I feel bad about buying it and won't do that again.

I did take your advice about the lights and just propped the tray of
seedlings on a south facing window. The seedlings are about two inches
tall and some are developing the real leaves. I'm keeping an eye on
them to make sure they don't get leggy.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

dgk said:

On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 18:44:56 -0500, Eggs Zachtly
wrote:

dgk said:

I'll get rid of some of the grass (and weeds) and then turn and add peat
moss to the soil.

Because "Tomato Bob" told you too. lol

Did you get your soil tested, as you said you were going to do?

I did indeed. The guy said it was fine soil for planting almost
anything. He suggested starting with some lime and then a
vegetable/fruit fertilizer every six weeks.

Interesting that he'd suggest lime, if there was established turf, and you're
switching to veggies in that area.


The peas were growing really quickly indoors so I put a few of them
outside, along with some romaine and onions that I got at Garden
World. It's likely too early for the peas but I'll see how they do.
The rest have been transplanted to pots and will go out soon.

I doubt it's too early for the peas. More likely, it's too late. Good luck with
them, though! Maybe the weather will stay cool enough to harvest some. I'm zone
5a, and when I grow peas, they're in the ground either the last week of Feb, or
the first week of March.


I started ripping up some lawn area to use for tomatos. That's tough
work. I figure I'll rip up about a 12 by 5 foot area - much tougher
than it looks.

hahaha yup! A good, sharp, square spade should make quick work of it. (Or, rent
a sod cutter and be done in a few minutes.) =)


I did try some of the weed blocker material and it will likely be ok
for the tomato section of the garden, but is too unwieldy for things
like onions where you need a lot of holes. Once you put it down, it's
difficult to put plants in. When you need to put in plants 4" apart in
rows 12" apart it's difficult to work with. And I think the squirrels
will rip it to shreds.

Yup. As an alternative, you might consider using straw as a mulch. It's heavy
enough to stay put, and as it breaks down, it's beneficial to the soil. =)


What's the problem with peat moss? Oh. This?

http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/...peat-moss.html

That, and it won't really do your soil any good. It will /really/ affect pH.
While most veggies like the soil on the "sour" side, most won't like it if you
take it too far acidic. If you're planning on using that area long-term for
veggies, your best bet is good helpings of humus and compost (including
composted manure). =)


I thought the whole purpose of the stuff was to retain water in the
soil. Now I feel bad about buying it and won't do that again.

Getting the texture of the soil correct, as well as mulching, will do a lot more
for proper water retention than adding peat moss ever will. =)


I did take your advice about the lights and just propped the tray of
seedlings on a south facing window. The seedlings are about two inches
tall and some are developing the real leaves. I'm keeping an eye on
them to make sure they don't get leggy.

=)
--

Eggs

-Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

Eggs Zachtly wrote:

[....]

Interesting that he'd suggest lime, if there was established turf, and you're
switching to veggies in that area.

Eggs, if a customer asked you to apply lime and fertilizer to
their lawn on the same day would you do it?

the fertilizer would be for Bermuda grass and something like
16-4-8 applied at 20 pounds/3000sq.ft.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

Jim said:

Eggs Zachtly wrote:

[....]


Eggs, if a customer asked you to apply lime and fertilizer to
their lawn on the same day would you do it?

I wouldn't. I prefer to add lime in the fall, when it will have the couple
months that it needs to break down and incorporate into the soil. That being
said, I doubt it would do any harm. I wouldn't mix the two in the hopper at the
same time. If I /had/ to do it, then I'd do the lime app, and then the
fertilizer app.
--

Eggs

Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into
a sun in the daytime.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

Eggs Zachtly wrote:

Jim said:
Eggs Zachtly wrote:

[....]


Eggs, if a customer asked you to apply lime and fertilizer to
their lawn on the same day would you do it?

I wouldn't. I prefer to add lime in the fall, when it will have the couple
months that it needs to break down and incorporate into the soil. That being
said, I doubt it would do any harm. I wouldn't mix the two in the hopper at the
same time. If I /had/ to do it, then I'd do the lime app, and then the
fertilizer app.
--

Eggs

Eggs, thanks for your input on this.

The customer is trying to save money by eliminating some of my travel cost.

Weed Blocker for fruits/veggies?
 

Jim wrote:
Eggs Zachtly wrote:

Jim said:
Eggs Zachtly wrote:

[....]


Eggs, if a customer asked you to apply lime and fertilizer to
their lawn on the same day would you do it?

I wouldn't. I prefer to add lime in the fall, when it will have the
couple months that it needs to break down and incorporate into the
soil. That being said, I doubt it would do any harm. I wouldn't mix
the two in the hopper at the same time. If I /had/ to do it, then
I'd do the lime app, and then the fertilizer app.
--

Eggs

Eggs, thanks for your input on this.

The customer is trying to save money by eliminating some of my travel
cost.

FWIW, I have done both applications at the same time on my home lawn several
times, and never had a problem.