Preventing Weeds

I'm trying a few different weed-reduction solutions this year. Already the raised beds have made segmenting my work so easy I can go out to the garden with 30 minutes of spare time and pick one spot to weed and feel like I've accomplished something. You can purchase landscaping cloth from your nursery or garden centre. There are lots of different kinds, both plastics and biodegradable options, which you lay over your bed then cut slits into for you veggies. I wanted something cheaper (/free or almost free), so here are a few DIY options.

Grass clippings
These work well because they add back nutrients to the soil when they decompose, they also make for a nice mulch to keep the water in. I did find they haven't kepts the weeds down as well as other methods. I am using them both in my potato box as filler instead of soil (for the potatoes to grow in) and around my celery to try and blanch it. You have to be careful when selecting grass-clippings as your weed-supressor because they can create areas of anaerobic bacterial growth (where no air is getting in) and can hide harmful pests. My determination: proceed with caution.

Plastic Garbage Bag
If you live in a hot climate this is not a good idea, you are going to cook your plants. In Ottawa, it's a perfect solution for heat-loving vegetables. I used this in my pepper bed to heat up the soil, then when it was time to transplant I cut slits and grew. I was planning on removing the plastic eventually but it's worked so well I haven't needed to. I did throw a little dirt on top of it to prevent too much sun-absorption as the weather got warmer. It completely blocks out all the weeds so they haven't been a problem at all in this bed. My determination: use selectively.

Newspaper
The best way to use newspaper in a weed-suppression function is to create a garden lasagna (I didn't make that up!). I use it around my beds to keep the weeds down where I haven't put any veggies in yet. And it works really well. It keeps all but the strongest weeds (such as my poplar) from growing, and ensures that when I'm ready to plant, I just have to remove the paper & seed. Plus most newspapers use a soy-based ink now, so you're adding something to the garden that isn't going to add any harmful bi-products. The only problem, it does tend to blow away so I always make sure I keep some soil on top of my paper. Plus you're recycling and if you pick up free community papers or get yesterday's paper from the stand - it's 100% FREE. My determination: use everywhere, but weigh down.