A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Gardening Tips and Tricks weed control in veg garden

Has anyone used newspaper (dampened and laid on the ground) to suppress weeds?
Does the ink have any bad chemicals in it?
should I buy paper that is new and bleached without anything else in it or doesn't it really matter?

Also, I'm going to try laying cardboard on my patways to make walking easier and to prevent weeds.

"Old, achy and hates to weed."

Jo

I've used lots of newspaper and never had a problem...most dyes are vegetable based....I also added straw or mulch to hold down the newspaper, when it dries out it takes to the wind in a flash.

thanks! I just read that black and white newspapers are fine, but not to use colorful or "shiny" coated papers.
did you wet them down and use several layers for the best weed control? Jo

Yup, I used 4 layers, that were soaked through. I find it was better than the weed fabrics. Mind you, I had to repeat it every year as well.

What Tamara said is good. I live in the desert and keeping them damp enough not to blow away is very tricky. I needed additional mulch of some type on top.
And the cardboard in your pathways will probably also benefit from a mulch layer on top. I do have a friend who does the cardboard paths every year. The old layers along with the mulch pile at the end of the season. The newspaper also.

thank you.

I use news paper a lot---I work up the ground good lay down a number of layers, wet them & then added grass clippings. I add the grass several times a summer. make sure there is no grass seed in the clippings. you do not weant to grow grass in your garden.
this keeps down weeds & holds in moisture. .

and what the ladies said about no colored or shiny paper is true.
I liked & used the plain black & white neswpaper a lot. it works well.

good luck.

Thanks, Tamara & JunieGirl. I tried last year without anything except my hoe and pretty much got discouraged, fast. My garden used to be a pony pasture and was full of strong stubborn plants as well as lots of memories.

This year I'm trying to go on the attack with weeds before they get me.
Also, I noticed your quote. Have you ever heard "I Hope You Dance?" Sanders & Sillers did a lovely book and Lee Ann Womack sang the song.
thanks again, Jo

I slowly add to the size of my veggie garden every year...I completely cut off the first 6 inches of sod and chuck it...my yard was once cattle pasture so I know your pain. I found that tilling the top layer of sod into my soil only spread the invasive weeds...this way cuts the weeds down by about 80%.

Holy cow Tamara, 6" of sod and soil? If you don't get weeds I guess thats great, I like your newspaper ideas and all the help I get on this site. I'm really getting educated!!!!!! THANKS, and I just figured out who Wild willy is. I'm a little slow. HAHAHAHA Happy gardening, Im looking forward to the challenges with you guys (GALS) by my side.

Well, my ground has a few feet of top soil from all the years of tilling and building it up for pasture so 6 inches is nothing...especially when it comes to getting rid of the most invasive weeds with it.

Glad you are liking it here, I've been here for years and I still learn new tricks and tips steadily.

well, I haven't been here as long as some---but I have been here awhile. & I am constantly learning.---as a matter of fact I cannot hold a candle to the likes of Tamara or Tina.--and Wild Willy?? well--there will never be any catching up to his expertise.

I had a grassy area that I turned into a flower garden. I mowed the grass as close as possible, covered with newspaper, left alone all winter, then tilled. It worked ok.

Cardboard is great for pathways.

Thats good.

do more.

dodge

well yes that is a good idea for the fall--and I will do just that !!!!
Thank you so much for the pointers

but this spring I will let Rod till the garden, and after I plant I will cover with LOTS of newspaper, once things come up. This has all really come about because I have basically had to leave it go for 3 growing seasons.
Tomorrow will be a better day--I am sure !!!!

Ok so I gave in and I put down layers of newspaper and cut grass. the landscaping paper by itself was not a good idea. Tina was right.

Oh well, can't blame a person for trying

I really only know gardening first hand in my desert area. The weed cloth is great but it needs a lot of help here with a heavy mulch of some sort. Your newspapers and grass clippings would not even be enough. I could water them in the morning but by afternoon they would be dried and blowing across the hills. The landscape fabric would not be far behind.

oh my Tina I am so so rry to hear that. no such problems here. i t all stays as long as no big wind comes along the day I lay it all down. The only other problem I have ever had is not enough newspaper, and on occasion I have had to relayer the grass, because as it drys it gets thinner. usually now I jsut make it so think, that for a week or so, it looks like I was way out of my mind.

Do you use bark nuggets there for mulch Tina?

Yes, the bigger, the better. And most likely to stay put until they degrade. Sometimes rocks. Stepping stones between plants too, to help hold everything in place. Whatever is heavy and not too ugly. I have logs also laying around to help hold things in our 50-100+ mph winds. Like I used here in my gnome garden
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And here;
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This is finer mulch than I like to use. But it was also cheapest. So the logs will hopefully help hold the weed cloth down under it and act as mini-windbreaks when it blows.

Great idea Tina..looks great also.