Tortoise's 2018 garden(s)

[Britesea]

It works fine, just not as long as cardboard. You also have to deal with its light weight if it gets dry and the wind blows. I used to worry about the ink, but I've heard that they mostly use soy inks now, so it's not as toxic.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am hoping that the newspaper will last for a season and then I can rototill it in the next spring.

 

[framing fowl]

Wow! You have a lot going on with your garden. It looks great! I'm looking forward to following along with your adventure.

 

[Britesea]

The newspaper should do fine, just make sure you use several layers as a single layer would rot too quickly.

 

[tortoise]

Peas have started, finally! Cucumbers are starting too.

My tomatoes are a mess, I didn't trellis them soon enough.

Green beans are a mess too - I accidentally planted pole beans. I thought they were bush. We're out of fence posts, so they're sprawling.

I haven't been as functional lately and the weeds are starting to take over

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yay for peas and cucumbers. My tomatoes are gone! My red ripper peas way over grew their trellis and are using the okra now, lol.

Sorry you haven't been as functional lately. But, if it's any consolation my weeds already done took over, lol!

 

[baymule]

If you part the weeds and come out with produce, you still are the winner.

 

[tortoise]

It's not quite so bad as digging through weeds to find produce. That has been every previous year. But, I'll be gone for a week of vacation and I am not going to like what I see when I'm back.

Even in the weedy spots, I've been able to keep any weeds from flowering or setting seed. That's HUGE progress for me! I also eradicated quack grass over more than half the garden. That's AMAZING. Better results than the year DH used roundup! I have to keep after it though, my garden is surrounded by thick quack grass.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Well, you're ahead of me then!

 

[baymule]

We have smothered the weeds this year with cardboard and wood chip mulch over a large part of the garden. The BEST boxes we found were pumpkin boxes, they were triple thickness. DH laid them over a part of the garden that we have never planted anything in.

I cut a hole, insert plant and push dirt around the plant, then water it.