Miller MacKenzie

I want to grow my own vegetables but I tend to grow more weeds than vegetables. Is there anything I can spray the ground with before or after planting will prevent weeds and allow vegetables to flourish? There has to be an easier way?

Controlling weeds can be one of the most troublesome jobs associated with producing vegetables in a home garden. Your average gardener usually thinks about chemical weed control. But for the home gardener other conventional methods of control are still the best and most cost effective for in-ground gardening.

Herbicides (chemical weed killers) should be avoided. There is no herbicide that can be used on all vegetable crops that will control all weeds. Promote healthy soil, keep it natural and you will be rewarded with a superior garden. I have seen far too many vegetable plants adversely affected by 2-4-D (the most common herbicide).

Most annual weeds can be controlled by cultivation! Annual broadleaf weeds are easily removed while they are in the seedling stage. Cultivations should be made to control each flush of weeds that emerges, usually within a few days after a rain. At this time weed seedlings are easily uprooted.

Weeds should not be allowed to get so large before control measures are taken that their root systems will develop to such an extent that removal is difficult and damaging to adjacent crops. 

The first few weeks after vegetables are planted is the most important time to control weeds. After the vegetables get well established and start shading the ground, they become competitive and do a good job of preventing new weeds from becoming established. Peat Moss can be used to help control weeds. In addition, it conserves soil moisture. A one inch layer of Peat Moss prevents light from reaching the soil surface and prevents weed seedlings from becoming established. 

By following good cultural practices and using mulches along with the timely cultivations and hand hoeing, most annual weeds can be controlled rather easily.

I have found growing above ground in our JackPot® containers can reduce weeding dramatically. There is less bending and no wasted space as seedlings are established much more quickly and therefore reduce competition by crowding out any weed competition. In addition, it is much more difficult for un welcome air-borne seed to travel up and into our JackPots®.