How do you get rid of weeds in your garden?

[TiggerToo]

I know...I know...the most obvious answer is to get your tuckus out there every day and till, hoe, and everything else you can think of to make sure those little buggers don't come back . But for those of us who don't have alot of time to spend in our garden, how can we get rid of those weeds?

Last year, my hubby and I laid down mulch. The first and only year I will be doing that. Grant it, it may have been a coincidence, but the only year I did that, I had a family of little mousies move in and just completely decimate my tomato plants . Tomatoes are my FAVORITE. I plant about 16 - 20 plants a year and eat them like apples. But unfortunately my hubby and I have a no kill policy in the house...so I ended up letting the mousies have them. This year...no mulch = no mousies... Could also be the three stray kitties that have taken up residence in our back yard too

We also try to be "organic" so no pesticides or weed killers go into the garden.

But what are some of the things you all do to make sure weeds don't overtake your garden?

[janastanley]

I have a huge garden and I use a hula hoe to control the weeds. My kids and I weed once a week, sometimes every two weeks and it works well. Some stores call it a dual action hoe. We discovered this tool about 4 years ago. It really cuts down on the time we spend weeding.

[CW&M Mom]

Pull up all the weeds from the root.

Lay a nice thick layer of straw over the entire garden...including under all the plants.

viola...no more weeds.


Also we've had plenty of things nibble on our tomato plants...never mice though. More squirrels, racoons, rabbits. Never really felt mice were big enough to go after tomatoes...

[3timesoccermom]

Have you considered using that fabric stuff you lay down around the plants? Never tried it but have seen it advertisd.

Also, maybe you could google a bit about the mulch and find one that mice don't like. There are lots of different types of mulches.

I have seen people put down a thick layer of newspaper, wet it down, then put a shallow layer of mulch over that.

That's all I got but good luck.

[thickbluebug]

I did the wet newspaper, mulch, straw/grassclippings and repeated - I got field mice too.
Ew!

[CW&M Mom]

Mice hate steel wool...so you could make a layer of that around your tomatoes....

[3timesoccermom]

Below is an article on mouse control. Maybe if you mulch but don't get right up next to the tomato plants - leave several inches clear - that would work. Apparently they don't like to get out in the open the article says.

Mice are eating the tomatoes, any ideas on how to get rid of them???


Rat and Mice Control

1. Last resort: Slice up corks, mix with food grease (bacon grease, hamburger grease etc.) then scent this mixture with oil of anise. Put out for the rodents, they love to eat it, but cannot digest it and die.

2. Scatter fresh or dried mint or holly leaves as a repellent. The mint works like a charm! We use it everywhere mice are a problem and they will not go near it. Smells nice too. We have had a good deal of email from folks that wrote us to say mint works great for them too!

3. Protect the bases of trees by wrapping loosely with 1/4" hardware cloth or foil. Be sure to keep any mulch pulled away from the trunks.

There is always cats as an option!

4. Don't mulch any perennials until after a few frosts. The rodents will have found a home by then and not in your mulch!

5. Encourage snakes and owls to stay near the garden to provide natural control.

6. Trap baits: nut meats, dried fruits, or bacon.

7. Plant "barriers" of perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) which will repel mice. You will enjoy the beauty of these plants for many years to come too.

8. Spray Ropel on the plants that are being bothered by mice.

9. Keep the soil around plants bare, as mice do not like to come out in the open.

10. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.), wood hyacinth (Scilla or squill) and grape hyacinth (Muscari) are said to repel rodents. Plant a pretty spring blooming border of them to help protect your other plants year round.

11. Planting herbs with a powerful scent will repel mice. Best choices are alliums, camphor plant, dwarf elder, elderberry, ,euphorbias, any mints and wormwood.

12. If you are allergic to or cannot tolerate cats then there are certain dogs which will take care of mice for you. Certain terriers are well known as "ratters" and so are Italian greyhounds.

13. For trapping mice: Use pumpkin seeds; you'll find that mice can't resist them! They sure are great roasted and salted, the pumpkin seeds, that is!

Mice
Mice cause havoc by feeding on plants under the snow, unseen. You can protect young trees by winding spiral protectors around them (they are available in retail stores), or sticking sections of drainpipe into the ground near the trees. You can also wrap strips of cloth smeared with a mixture of natural resin and melted suet (ratio of 1:3) around the trunk. Certain plants repel mice and keep them from nesting at the foot of trees: amaryllis, mint, lavender, daffodils, narcissus, squill, hyacinth, catnip and spurge. A mulch of thuja bark or savory or oak leaves will keep mice away. Camphor and mothballs repel them as well. When you set out mouse traps be sure to use some anise oil to mask your odour.

[CW&M Mom]

The only bad thing with the mint...is it grows just as bad as a weed LOL...believe me. It will single handily try and grow over your tomatoes..

[434Teresa]

try to goggle organic pesticides maybe that would give you a good answer, or ask at the co op if you have one near by

[janastanley]

The only bad thing with the mint...is it grows just as bad as a weed LOL...believe me. It will single handily try and grow over your tomatoes..

We have had that problem too. Mint is very invasive! It has grown under concrete, through the grass, etc.