question...redoing strawberry patch

[ssandna]

I think I am going to redo the strawberry patch since the weeds and grass and violets kind of got ahead of me this year and we didn't have so many berries and I have never before paid attention to cutting off runners of daughter plants, etc. have weeded 2 sections, covered with compost, then newspapers, then shredded pine bark. Here in the Blue Ridge its a thin layer of clay over rock although the beds are not too bad, at least 6 inches of really nice brown loose dirt.

So I have had Junebearers before which is good because I can get overwhelmed for a few weeks in late June and then have many bags of frozen strawberries, yummy for smoothies, etc. But everbearers might be less overwhelming.

The garden HAS to be organic cause of the herb business, small as it is I am loath to give it up. It gets pretty humid all summer and into the high 90s fro several weeks mid august.

Any recommendations, success stories, or even failures? thanks in advance...

[strongtower9]

I have "relocated strawberries sooooo many times. I can NEVER keep up with the weeds. At present I dont have any. I read or heard that strawberries were the worst for getting sprayed with something because they are so perishable. So I don't eat them unless they are my own.

I had those same to types. My next venture I am putting plastic under the beds. Newspapers didn't last long enough, or I didn't put them thick enough....

Don't they use hay in the fields?? Or are they spraying for weeds too... Probably...

[Deleted]

Plastic would be a good idea but watch the soil temps,maybe on the plastic you could use some straw or even grass clippings

[jeanette]

you can bet the hay and oat fields are sprayed with something...

is paper or cardboard considered organic??? you could try what they call lasagna gardening... you know like making lasagna.. cardboard, dirt, paper, dirt, strawberry.. i don't think there is an easy way to be organic,

i'm a 'better living through chemisty" kinda gal... so i use PREEN. god i love that stuff.. you are always gonna have some weeds.. the old fashion way is still the best way... ;D

i have june bearers too, i think they are so much sweeter..

[mary]

I have a June bearing strawberry, like you say its hard to keep them weed free,I'm going to put down black plastic,I had a lot of runners,oftered my neighbor some, she didn't want any, my other neighbor is moving to Cal. Don't have a good place to put them so I mowed them off ,now is when I plan to use the plastic.To provide plants for forcing in the greenhouse, pin the runners or( plantlets) into pots sunk into the ground beside the parent plant , once they have rooted they can be separated from the parent plant and moved to the greenhouse.

[Compost Pharmer]

If it was me, i'd put down 5 - 7 layers of newspaper with mulch on top. I do this every year in my garden and very few weeds grow thru. The ones that do, I just pull out. The newspaper will decay and turn into fertilizer. Besides, rain can penetrate the mulch and paper, but not the plastic.

Just my 2.5 cents worh.

Yes Jeanette, paper and cardboard are considered organic.

[jeanette]

aren't you worried about all the ink leeching into your soil?

[strongtower9]

I read that it is the colored ink that you don't use...I may try again next year, Had too many irons in the fire this year. It is the whole weed thing that discourages me with the strawberries. I will have to try plastic ( at this point I feel I have nothing to loose). Roots are shallow anyway. Maybe I can keep up with just the edges of the bed, but when it is the whole blessed thing, I want to cuss and cry after a while.

[Deleted]

Heres an article I had in the X files.....

Newspaper/Cardboard
Weeds are some of the hardest pests to control organically without resorting to physically pulling each one out. If your weeds are coming up in small clusters, it is easy to deal with them by pouring boiling water over them. However, if you've got a large area, the best way to control them is to smother them, also known as sheet mulching.

I prefer to use either newspaper or cardboard to smother my weeds instead of plastic. Both newspaper and cardboard degrade naturally and will, over time, add carbon into my soil, helping provide organic material. In addition, most newspapers are now printed with soy-based inks,* which will also degrade in the garden.

If you decide to use newspaper, make sure you place it at least 4-6 sheets thick over your weeds. One layer of cardboard is usually sufficient to get the same effect. It takes at least a month to kill most weeds so I find the best way to use this method is to place the newspaper or cardboard over the weeds in the fall. Come springtime, the weeds are dead, the mulch has degraded, and I've got wonderful soil to work with.

For anyone who is concerned about the aesthetics of newspaper or cardboard, you can also cover the mulch with grass clippings, compost or bark mulch for a nicer look. Make sure whatever you use is free of weed seeds.

*-SoyBased is a pretty loose term, if ya do some research you will find that overall newspaper is a fairly safe and organic approach to weed control.

[jeanette]

i use PREEN.. is a mild dose of treflan and a mild fertilizer.. coarse you gotta get all the weeds first, then just sprinkle it around the plants careful not to get any on the leaves although i've never had any trouble. then just water or rake it in.. it lasts about 3 months.. it doesn't keep all the weeds from comming up nothing does.. i'm always hesitent about using grass mulches because some times it has seed in it.. seeds=weeds..

preen is a preemergent so don't put it down before the plants are grown..

[Compost Pharmer]

Jeanette, just wondering. Is Preen organic?

XDX: The newspaper and grass clippings is how I keep down weeds in the garden during the growing season. Usually it all decays during the summer, except this year, do to a loack of rain. This method works real well. The weeds that grow thru the newspaper and clippings, I just pull out and lay on top of the mulch. My mother taught me this 40 years ago. She used to do it in her garden. It worked then, and stil works today.

[jeanette]

no preen is not organic it's basically treflan, and fertilizer.. low number if i remember right

[strongtower9]

I have some kind of grass that is persistant no matter what I do...The weeds I can do, this grass is on runners that extend all under the dirt and holds on tight so it has to be dug up, and a small piece left behind will root and if you are not watching, its the same process in a matter of weeks.

[jeanette]

i hate that stuff...
i've started using round-up for it.. you MUST be very careful to not get it on anything else.. some people apply it with a paint brush just to make sure.. i don't get that close to anything i want to keep..

[deb65802]

I will not use chemicals. ever........

For me the best way to get rid of grass is to smother it out with cardboard and newspaper. straight vinegar works very well in a spray bottle. be careful it will kill anything it comes into contact with.
debbie n missouri

[jeanette]

now see i'd use round-up way before i'd use vinager.. it might be organic but it is very strong,, very bad

Note that vinegar with acetic acid concentrations greater than 5 percent may be hazardous and should be handled with appropriate precautions. Vinegar solutions of 11-percent strength can cause skin burns and eye injury. Also note that the use of a vinegar product for killing weeds, unless the material is specifically labeled as a herbicide, is illegal and a violation of federal pesticide laws. Always read and follow all pesticide label directions

[deb65802]

you have to special order vinegar to get it in 11 percent strength. Store bought vinegar is only 5 per cent. if you are worried about strength dilute it 50 percent with water. vinegar will actually build up the soil and not linger to haunt the next generation.

vinegar will kill poison ivy, nut sedge, nut grass, bermuda grass, pig weed just to name a few. and not harm the environment.

[Compost Pharmer]

Last year I bought a gallon of 20% vinegar from Lowes. The manufactor is 'Natures Way' I have been spraying it on unwanted weeds, especially ones that pop up in the driveway. Works real well.
I will not use those nasty chemicals either. Jeanette knows that. Roundup stays in the soil way to long.

[strongtower9]

bermuda GRASS !!!! THATS WHAT IT IS.

I confess I use round up or something for weeds at the house or edge of flower bed...(well I don't , I make my son do it )

But vinegar?? I did not know this! What exactly is bad about it? Will regular vinegar work? At least make them sick !! Does it have to be really strong??? How long does it stay in the soil? Would it not dilute with the rain?

Do you have to spray leaves or can I pour on the ground...?

I would really like to know the pros and cons about this !!!

[deb65802]

the pros are it is organic and will not leave chemicals in the soil. Vinegar you buy in the store is strong enough to do the job. spray it on the weeds you want to die. I cover mine with cardboard too. works every time. you dont have to worry children or animals will get sick.
deb

[jeanette]

.. we are gonna have to agree to disagree my phriends... it is fun to exchange ideas... by the by, i never worry about my kids or animals getting sick... unless it from store bought spinach ;D ;D... i saw a TV show on the way some of those crops are harvested... yuck yuck...

[strongtower9]

Where is da X and his files when ya need him ??

[Deleted]

whatcha need?

[jeanette]

vinager vs round-up?

[Deleted]

Roundup
In March of 2001, the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. John Hopkins University also revealed that home gardeners use almost 10 times more pesticide per acre than the average farmer and that diseases caused by environmental illness, exposure to chemicals etc., is now the number one cause of death in the U.S.

Vinegar

My personal opinion........ pull em by hand.

[strongtower9]

The number one cause ? I had no idea...I don't use much of it..Well I may experiment with some house hold vinegar next spring...See what it does. THANX X.