We got a truckload of composted manure this spring from Mr. Stuspot's dad, who is a farmer. Everywhere that we put the manure, we got weeds, weeds, weeds. Mostly this one particular one, that Mr. Stuspot calls barnyard weed. I have diligently pulled and hoed up every single one.

As we sat on the deck this a.m. and drank our coffee, Mr. Stuspot pointed out to me a particularly tall specimen of barnyard weed who had grown up (overnight I swear! ) in one of the tomato cages, right next to a tomato plant. And that's when he said it. He said, "I might have to just spray the whole garden with Round-Up this fall when I till."



I said that it wasn't necessary. He told me about how many weeds we'd gotten from the manure. You don't need to tell me, I'm the one who pulled them all. But I don't really mind the weeding that much AND I'm sure I got them all before they went to seed, so it's not like the ones we've had will be making new ones. Right?

Do you have opinions on what his spraying Round-Up on the garden when he tills this fall might do to our soi? I think it'll make it toxic and will affect next year's planties. He says that's silly.

I'm worried. We have spent years now building up our soil and it's really very nice. Any thoughts?

Won't do anything to the soil. It's not toxic and has a VERY short residual in the soil compared to other herbicides. It may not do anything to help your problem though if all the weeds have already gone to seed. You'll just be killing the plants, but tilling under next year's weed seed. Weed seed is inevitable with some manures. You could spray everything that comes up after the veg plants are gone and up until say a week before planting next spring. Just make sure that you apply when the plants are ACTIVELY growing. Hitting them while they're dormant is useless.

Thanks!! That is good to know. I was so worried about my garden.

Now. If I have removed all the weeds before any were allowed to go to seed, wouldn't there eventually stop being any new ones?

Use Preen! Use it right away and again next year AFTER your seeds have germinated. It will cut down on weeds from seeds and will not hurt your plants at all. Also putting on plastic to bring the temp up and kill the weed seeds will work too.

And next time, tell Mr. Stuspot to get that manure,
and let it sit out off to the side..
for a season or two..

or better yet, throw it in the compost pile
when cleaning up in Spring and Fall with all
that brown stuff, and add the manure and it'll
kick up the heat in the pile and kill off some
of the weed seeds...

And when you put the stuff on your garden,
if you cover it with a landscape fabric, newspaper, some kind of mulch over it, it will not give the weed seeds a chance to germinate
cause there's no sun...

Yes! That's what you want to do.

weeds