I also find that Preen is highly ineffective, but it may have been effective enough to keep some of your seedlings from germinating.

Spraying is NOT the answer to weeds in a vegetable garden. Your seeds aren't "roundup-ready" and any weed killer is going to affect them.

You speak of pulling the weeds. This is a good method if you get the root, but impractical for a large weedy garden. You don't mention hoeing. I suggest you purchase a GOOD hoe, like a scuffle hoe, sharpen the edge well, and hoe each row once a week. You can then hand-pull the weeds that grow between the plants.

Some people here will advise you to use mulch. My own experience is that mulch is a very good thing to keep moisture in the soil but won't suppress vigorous weeds. Mulch can also serve as a hiding place for pests as well as beneficials that prey on them.

But neither of these methods will really solve your problem until your seeds are up and growing.

It's an unfortunate fact of gardening that preparing the soil for seeds will stir up dormant weed seeds that will outcompete the vegetables. You might consider solarizing with clear plastic that cooks the emerging weed seedlings before you put in your own seeds, but it's likely too late to try that this year.

Agree completely with the above. Not only did the use of the Preen likely prevent your seeds germinating but using any additional weed killers now only threatens what crops have germinated.

Basically, weed control is a part of gardening but weed killers of any kind have no role in a garden. Till, hoe, or lay down thick layers of mulches as is often recommended here.

Dave

Weeding is an unfortunate part of gardening, but if you keep up with it, it gets better after a few years as all the weed seeds get used up. Use a scuffle (oscillating) hoe and a cape cod weeder. You don't want to use chemicals in your food. A few weeds won't hurt and may attract beneficial insects.

Mulch can suppress many weeds, but not all. I do mulch the rose garden; it helps tremendously. I'll second the scuffle hoe idea. I weed in the roses several times a week, just knock the weeds out of place unless they are big or starting to set seed. Some re-root, but I'm back at them in a couple of days.

The vegetable garden is a sacred place, nothing except organic fertilizer goes in it.

Can you go out every other day with the scuffle hoe?

This is all very good advice and I'll look at buying those types of hoes. I converted this patch of land into a garden after I took out huge bushes 2 years ago. I this spot I have sweet potatoes, Eggplant, and I planted squash, and cucumbers. As you can see the sweet potatoes, egg plant and squash came in well. I think I have one cucumber and the other spanish squash did not come in.

So, can you guys tell me what weeds these are?? It's like a magical weed garden. :D

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I see purslane, violets and grass. Common in my area.I think your best bet is a hoe.

Is that wire grass? If it is you're in for an adventure. That stuff can grow from a single cell. Its the bain of my existence this year.

I cross posted this over on the weed board and someone said that it was crab grass and persulane. I went out and hand weeded today since it was muddy and easy to pull. I'm heading out to HD and purchase a Hoe & new seeds (0r plants at this point-- if it's not too late to plant seeds). ARGH. I hate weeds. HATE.

You need to find some mulch too. All those plants need to be heavily mulched. All that exposed soil is just asking for more weeds to sprout.

Dave

Those are difficult weeds you've got, but the worst is the grass. Grass is difficult to control. You have to get the roots out or, as you've discovered, it comes right back. And don't let it, or the purslane, rest on the soil you've just removed it from. It'll re-root promptly.

You can see why I was asking about weed killer. *sigh* I guess mulch is on my list too.

I have found straw is a big help as a mulch between plants (though it does sometimes come with it's very OWN unique weed seeds too, yet easy to pull out) and, in the spring it's broken down to adds to your next years soil, bonus! Certain weeds will still make it through thick straw but only the most stubborn and by that time, your plants should be larger and able to withstand a few weeds. Also, your plants will thicken in as they grow, blocking the sun from the newest weeds coming up. I always plant thickly, so as to do just this, keep the soil cool, moist and block the weeds.
Mulches do offer a home for slugs and some earwigs (though they still prefer rocks because straw can heat up) so when I am breaking up the bale, I make sure to separate the "squares" in half, that come away from the bale. Not to thick, just enough to not see the dirt.
I'm of the camp that it makes no sense to grow your own veg, if it's going to contain pesticides like the store veg does. Since we often don't save much money in growing our own in a smaller urban garden, then once the chemicals are added, what is the point then? Cheaper in the stores. But, if it's organic, well then we can talk saving money, organic produce can be pricey:)

Your weed situation does not look unusual for an area that has only been tended for a year or two. Stay on top of the weeding this year and don't let any of the weeds set seed. Hoeing and mulch are great suggestions. Use the hoe when the top of the soil is dry and then most of the hoed up weeds will fry in the sun and not reroot.Try using a thick layer of leaves or straw over recently weeded areas whenever possible. It makes weed control and watering much easier for us. We'll be stockpiling raked leaves from non-gardening neighbors again this fall.

Next year should be easier for you if you keep up with weed control this year.....but weeds and their control are part of gardening. If weeds won't grow in your soil, do you really want to eat crops that will grow there?

Not sure if it can be said enough, but keep on top of hand weeding or hoeing this year and you'll see fewer and fewer weeds come up in successive years.

It's taken 3 years of weeding and a portion of my veggie garden still sprouts grass...