also, that's what we all do after everything is in the ground and we're waiting for harvest...weed...weed..weed Speak for yourself. I detest weeding and do everything in my power to prevent them from growing in the first place. I'd say I've done less that 45 minutes of hand picking weeds this entire year. Doug, The key to getting rid of weeds and keeping an area weed free is planning far enough ahead and constant maintenance. I don't recommend Roundup, you don't need it. Weed eating is a futile effort unless your taking out the roots as well. So long as the roots are still in the ground, most of your weeds will continue to come back. You need to completely eliminate the entire plant: top and bottom. Depending on what "weeds" were in your soil that you tilled, you most likely brought up dormant weed seeds that were too deep to sprout and broke up stems (crab grass for instance) into smaller pieces where the nodes still sprouted. If tilling is the chosen method, then do so at least six weeks in advance, and preferably months in advance in order for the soil tilth to build back again as well as for dormant seeds to sprout so you can skim them to kill them as they come up. Do this a few times for a couple of weeks until they've subsided, then you're ready to plant. Next you need to mulch and mulch well (2-3 inches). This will prevent further sprouting of weeds and prevent migrating wind born seeds from taking root in your soil. If you plant vegetable seeds, you can mulch with a thin layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings or compost or straw, etc. When the seedlings get 3-4 inches tall you can mulch at a greater thickness and more as they get larger. Mulch will help keep your soil moist and the soil temperature stable. I use grass clippings because my neighbors provide me with a steady supply for free. If you want to go the newspaper route, try Freecycle.org and ask for newspaper. You might be pleasantly surprised. There's probably someone out there (like me) with plenty of newspaper to share, especially if it's going to good use and getting recycled. You can also call your local newspaper, tell them what you need it for and ask if they have any discards. You need to do layers of 8-12 damp (soak them in a bucket of water first) sheet, then cover with soil. If you don't it will dry and fly away. But if you can cover with soil, or mulch, it would work. You can also try cardboard. Call local businesses for both. You can also try black plastic mulch, but it won't add organic matter to your soil. The issue with straw are seeds which might sprout and cause problems. It works great, just make sure you know what you're getting: When using hay or straw, you need to know your source and exactly what is in the bales. Hay and Straw Glossary A popular organic mulch, hay is commonly used to protect soil and plants from the elements, to line pathways, and to address various needs in the garden. What many people don't realize, however, is that various products are often labeled as "hay" at garden centers, but there are many different types of hay and straw that are commonly sold in bales. While they are easily confused, it's important for gardeners to become familiar with the differences. Salt hay Salt hay, or Spartina patens, is a grassy plant that grows in salt marshes and wetlands. Martha has long used salt hay in her gardens. It is useful for keeping weeds from growing in paths, preventing runoff, and keeping soil from turning into mud whenever it rains or the garden is watered. A layer of salt hay will keep soil moist and encourage worms to come to the surface, which will help to aerate the soil. It also makes an attractive path to walk on between garden rows. Salt hay is an ideal all-purpose mulch because its seeds won't grow away from salt water so it won't germinate in your garden. Golden straw What is commonly termed "Golden straw" is either oat straw, Avena, or wheat straw, Triticum. This straw is a by-product of the process of separating oat or wheat seeds from their stalks. Golden straw is often used as bedding in horse stalls; because there are no seeds, the horses won't eat it. This straw spreads nicely, and the lack of seeds means there is no risk of it germinating in your garden. It can be used in the same way as salt hay. Wheat straw An excellent choice for straw for use in the vegetable garden. Lay down six inches in height in the fall then direct sow seeds in the spring. No need to dig. There will be a handful of weak sprouts from seeds, just pull them out. Feed hay Just as its name implies, feed hay is used to feed livestock. Though inexpensive and plentiful, it is not a good choice for use in gardens because it is full of seeds. The main ingredient of feed hay is alfalfa, Medicago sativa. It also frequently contains flowers and seeds from many other plants and weeds such as clover and golden rod. These seeds are likely to germinate, resulting in a garden full of weeds rather than flowers and vegetables. Soil Solarization is another technique you can use, using clear 6 mil plastic. It has been around for a long time. It's effective for those who have patience and can plan ahead. A drawback is that it kills beneficial organisms and bacteria in the soil. What I do is lay roof shingles over any area where I want to create a bed. Within two weeks vegetation underneath is weak and pretty close to dead. I wait until the soil is crumbly underneath, sink my spade in and start hand sifting and pulling out everything then I crumble it back in the spot along with compost so it's light and airy and never walk on it again. Then I'll mulch with leaves and/or grass clippings. Usually the latter. I don't do huge areas of space at a time. Literally just lay them on top of the grass and overlap them a bit so light doesn't get thru. After a couple of weeks and after a rain check to see if the soil is "friable" (soil crumbles in your hands). Length of time after a rain will depend on whether your soil is sandy, clay, etc. For me it can be 2-3 days in certain parts of the yard, 1 day in another area of the yard. When you lift the shingles, you'll see there is little to no grass and what you can see is yellow or white. Sink a spade in and lift up, then just get in there with your hands and fingers and take a chunk and pull out the roots. This works fabulously with bermuda grass because the main runner stem is in tact but the roots have died off so all you have to do is follow the runners. Sometimes they're 4 feet long. But they're soooo much easier to get out! Much less work than tilling and sifting. Then crumble the soil lightly back into the spot with your fingers. As you crumble take out out any weed matter and into the compost pile they go. This is the best time to incorporate compost or any other soil amendments. Now don't walk on the area or you'll compact the soil. I'll take out large rocks as well since we grow rocks around here. I've responded to "Wanted: Rocks" on freecycle.org a couple of times so now they're gone and have found use to fill holes under fences so dogs don't escape. The problem with tilling bermuda grass is that when you do that, you create a lot of little pieces that are not easy to find and get out without a sifter. If one tiny piece with a node gets left behind, it'll take root and take off and you have the same problem all over again.

What is lion weed? Do you mean dandelions? The solution for dandelions is proper lawn maintenance. What kind of grass do you have? Where do you live? Need a town preferably. How are you watering (how long and how often)? How high/low do you mow? How often do you fertilize and with what?

Sorry I'm kind of new at asking these sort of questions. Northern utah get surprisingly hot during the summer. Temps reach 100 degrees and the climate is a dry. We had a water shortage this year so we could only water twice a week and got hardly and rain. The area gets a good bit of sun but not all day

I share a 20 x 20 community garden plot with my 92 year old neighbor. We each have half the plot. After my first year, I had practically no weeds, but his half was a constant jungle, threatening the tomatoes he loved to grow every summer. I made a deal with him that I would take care of his weeds if he would water my veggies while I was gone. It took a whole season of vigilance, but now he is in his second weed-free year. Here are some things I learned. What causes weeds? Bare earth! Nature abhors a vacuum, as they say. The process of natural succession is nature's way of healing itself after disaster. First the grasses and quick growing annuals take over. That builds the soil so perennials, shrubs, and eventually trees and forest thrive. So when you are trying to keep bare garden soil weed free, you are not just dealing with stray seeds and roots - you actually have the whole force of the ecosystem working against you. (And it feels like it too, right?) As everyone above has said, once they are there you just have to bite the bullet and diligently dig them out. (Assuming it is mid-season and you have plants in the ground. If it is late fall or early spring consider smothering the whole bed lasagna style.) For my small plot I use a Hori Hori garden knife which is perfect for getting under the roots and then lifting the weed out of the soil roots and all. Prevention = mulch Since bare earth is the cause, the prevention solution is simple - cover every inch of the garden in either plants or mulch. Deprive the invaders of sunlight and soil. I use a thick mixture of straw, compost, grass clippings and coffee grounds because this will turn into compost by the end of the season killing two birds with one stone. But any dense mulch will serve the basic purpose of keeping weeds out. Prevention = cover crops Another way to cover bare ground is with cover crops. This is an especially good choice if you have a whole section or bed that will be unplanted for a season and you don't want to come back to weeds. Just as an example since we are at the beginning of summer, a thick sowing of buckwheat comes up quickly and in about a month is flowering and attracting bees and butterflies. It is super easy to pull out or chop off at ground level (before the flowers go to seed) and then drop the plants back into the bed for instant mulch. Or compost them and start a new crop for another month. Some weeding will still be needed. A few stragglers will find their way up. But instead of hours of labor, you will just need to go on weed patrol for about 10 minutes a week to keep things in check.