Weeds

On the farm we deal with weeds everywhere! I think the worst part is since we live out in the country there is no stopping line …. the weeds just go on forever and ever and ever until eventually you run into …. someone else’s weeds. So whenever I find a good solution to a certain weedy area I just wanna sing it to the world so everyone else can stomp out those little buggers too!

There is a certain method that I like to use in a few different areas of the garden that has proven very effective over the last few years and that is newspaper and grass clippings.

It’s especially awesome because I think most people already have newspaper and grass clippings and they might even be wondering what to do with them because of how much they get on a weekly basis.

It’s also awesome because it’s organic.

And it’s ALSO awesome because it lasts for at least an entire growing season, sometimes two or three.

See …. Awesome right?!?!

Now let me show you how I do it so that you can sing songs about killing weeds too.

Here is what ya need:

Lots of newspaper

I keep a box in my laundry room and we toss all the newspaper we get in there. Sometimes I even ask family and friends to give me theirs but after you explain what your doing with it they probably won’t wanna give theirs up.

Lots of grass clippings

The tough part about this one is they need to be fresh or else they just blow away. I mow my lawn about once a week and I just use the grass clippings from that day wherever I need them the most and then start again the next week wherever I left off.

Water

I just fill up my big watering can or I drag the hose to wherever I am working. It doesn’t take much.

First you need an area that you want to keep the weeds down. My favorite places to use this method are around the raspberry patch, the tomatoes, the squash, the pumpkins, and sometimes pathways. It’s best used around “bigger” plants that are planted farther apart, not small things like carrots or lettuce because it covers a large area.

This particular day I was wishing the weeds in my raspberry patch were gone so I started there. Notice the weeds are ALREADY growing. That’s okay as long as they are not so big that they will break through the newspaper. Up to 3 inches tall is probably fine as long as you go thick with your paper and grass. It is even better to put it down BEFORE the weeds start growing, but anything to do with weeds gets pushed to the end of the list here at The Real Farmhouse.

Once you have your space picked out, bring over some newspaper and the water and then start mowing. We have a bagger on our mower and a BIG lawn so I mow a portion and then drive over to where I am working.

Next you will lay down your newspapers, several layers thick AND overlapping a few inches so there is no way those weeds will ever find sunlight!

After that you are going to wet down your newspaper. You know how crusty paper gets after it gets wet and then dries? That’s good! That’s what we want! Hard crusty newspaper that the weeds can’t move. So spray the paper just until it’s wet all over.

Then dump your FRESH grass clippings on top and spread them out. The thicker you go the longer your weed barrier will last. I do 3-5 inches. When it dries out and hardens up it wont be quite so tall. If you use dry grass clippings then they all just blow away PLEASE TRUST ME! Also you could use other mulch or organic material like straw, wood chips, etc. if you would rather.

Make sure to put a little extra along any edges that meet up with something (like where my grass clippings touch the straw bale) because the terrible weeds like to sneak up in the corners and along edges.

Finally I just walk around on it a bit to pack it all down.

Voila! no more pesky ugly weeds. At least not right there anyways ……

Then you just keep going and going and going and going until you run out of newspaper or grass clippings!

So quick run through:

Pick your spot
Lay your paper out
Wet it down
Cover it with grass clippings
Pack it down
Sing a song about killing weeds (this step can also be done throughout the entire project not just at the end)

Enjoy your weed free patch!

Want more information about creating a no maintenance garden? Watch my YouTube video HERE or read the blog post HERE! I promise it wont disappoint.

~Farmer’s Wife