Cleaning out the strawberry patch

A couple of years ago my son got some plastic for the flower bed out front. He cleaned it out really good and then put it down and those pesky weeds found a way to get through it. If I didn't want it to die then it would but wanting it do die it won't. Do you think the day will come when your entire yard will be garden? Flowers, veggies and fruit? That would be awesome.

I've never done that, but there is a similar method called "lasagna gardening"where you build up layers of stuff, starting with old wet newspapers to kill the grass. You keep piling up layers of stuff (grass clippings, compost, leaves, seaweed, what-have-you) and end up building soil. Rodale Press put out a book about it a few years back (written by Patricia Lanza).

I never have to do that cause the areas I end up planting in are pretty much bare spots. I've started planting spring-flowering perennials through-out my yard this spring. Every bare spot gets a flower planted in. Tired of trying to grow grass in those spots and if I don't plant something, the weeds will fill them in. Found an old washtub that someone threw out so I just planted my cantaloupe in it last night in the yard where the creeping charlie likes to grow. Once my watermelon is big enough, I'll be planting that there as well. The vines have a lot of room to spread out there since it's too bare to mow. Now, if it would just stop raining for a few days so my garden can dry up enough to till, I'll be happy. lol

That is a great idea. We haven't ever done that but I might try it sometime. We just planted a garden a few days ago and it has rained non stop since. I feel that our plants may be washed away if it doesn't stop soon or they may drown. I hope not as I am hoping to become a little more self suffient soon.

No, I don't do that but it's a great idea! I'll try that next spring. Grass isn't really the problem here, though, it's all these pretty weeds that spread along the ground with their pretty purple flowers. I have to go out, as soon as it dries up from all this rain, and pull the stuff up. As someone else said, no photo. That's a shame, I wanted to see it.

Hi GRANDPA BOB, No picture GRANDPA BOB, but I know with all that hard work, your ground would be ok for the next two years. Tamara

I've seen people do that. Around here, they suggest a thick layer of newspaper, since by the time the grass is killed off, you can till the paper into the dirt as part of the compost

That is something I will definitely keep in mind Grandpa Bob for when we do move into our own house and have a garden. Thanks for the tip!

I've never done that before - however I havnet really made any new flower or berry patches in my yard. Thats a really neat idea!

We used to put plastic down, but these days we put down thick layers of damp newspaper and cover them in lawn clippings. This keeps the soil nice and moist, and the worms are able to go about their job while the weeds die off, so the earth stays nice and healthy.