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| Now I'm trying to figure out the best thing to do next spring! I live on the north west side of SC, Laurens county, zone 7.
I have read all kind of different things that I "should" do. I'm looking for someone with real experience! I'm thinking of mowing 40 inch strips with my lawn mower and pull behind vacuum. Till or lay off rows with my tractor if the tiller doesn't do well, down the middle of the strips and leave some growing between. I have a "too big" garden so the loss of planting area is no problem. Then putting the clover that I mowed back around the plants, after they are big enough, for mulch. The clover won't have time to compost completely. Then after the mulch starts breaking down mow the strips that I left for more mulch. I have a bad pig weed and crab grass problem,and I'm hoping this will help. I don't want the clover to become an extra problem! What do Y'all think? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I would think the clover would be a welcome nuisance. Although I know it can be an invasive perennial, it brings a lot of good to the table (and compost pile) that your other problems obviously don't. I'm just jealous of all the room you have! My garden is such a little double-sidewalk strip 100 feet long. And a garden tractor tiller! I'm drooling at the thought.... |
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| My garden is 1 and 1/2 acres, too much for one person to take care of, even with a tractor! |
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| I am in Columbia, the white tail deer are going to love you. Your garden plan sounds good to me. Let me Know if you would like some coffee chaff. |
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| I dunno how we'uns got caught up in having the 'perfect' lawn, but at some point, maybe 5 years ago, I started thinking of it differently. No pesticides, no fertilizers, let the worms do the work for you, and intentionally over-planted Dutch white and Strawberry clover. Figure a mowed pasture. Now, I walk on the softest, springy-est lawn you can imagine, dark green from the nitrogen-fixing clover, and if I need it, I can pick up bushels of grass clippings for mulch and compost, or just leave it on the lawn as worm food. I've got lots of dandelions. I've decided to look at them as little chisels, their tap roots breaking up the soil. They're pretty in the spring, ugly for 2 weeks with the stalks, and then they disappear. I've got pigweed as well, but not so much in the lawn, it gets choked out by grasses. The crab grass disappeared, replaced by clover and then other grasses. I'll spot spray spray thistle, over-exuberant dandelion patches, but thats once every other summer. I do 1.5 acres of lawn, in addition to large flower beds and vegetable gardens. Your milage may vary. My kids are still asleep and not opening Christmas presents, thus here I am pontificating. |
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