gardengalrn, I also live in Kansas and I'm an RN. I used to fight weeds in our veggie gardens also. I mulched with little benefit no matter how thick I spread it. I then tried laying a layer of newspaper on the soil and covered that with mulch (I use grass clippings and shredded leaves). The first time I didnt use thick enough layers of newspaper. Weeds came back after several weeks. With thicker layers it was effective all summer. By the next spring the mulch and paper had decomposed and were tilled in, benefiting the soil :) This year I used newspaper in some areas, brown paper bags in others and cardboard in others. I can honestly say I had a weed free veggie garden :) Laying down the newspaper/cardboard is a bit time consuming but well worth it. I place the barrier right up to, but not touching the stems of plants. My neighbors give me the leaves they collect in the fall and in the spring I run over them with the mower...using the collection bag...this is spread over the newspaper/cardboard. I'm so happy I have found a way to enjoy my veggies garden and not be overwhelmed with weeds. As for Preen...I use that only in flower beds. I sprinkle it after I put a good layer of mulched leaves. It lasts about 3 months. You can successfully plant seeds in the area. There is a long list on the back of the box of seeds that are not effected by the product. I just checked my box and green peas are listed as not being effected by Preen. There are a number of other veggies that it is safe to use with as well as grasses, flowers, shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, etc. Great product...I just choose not to use it on things I'm going to eat. With a little preparation you can spend your summer enjoying your garden instead of fighting the weeds :)

I've been reading these forums for a long time and can count on my fingers the number of writers who claim to have good luck with Scott's with weed control. Generally Weed-n-Feed products do not work as well as the marketing people lead you to believe. You'll get much better results fertilizing first and then spot spraying something like Weed-G-Gone two weeks after the fertilizer. That timing break explains the reason why WNF doesn't work. The weeds need to be growing well to die well. If you apply both at once, the herbicide dissipates before the weed gets healthy enough to take it up. Crabgrass in bermuda is darned hard to control. There are some chemicals that might work but the best defense is a strong, dense turf. Water deeply and infrequently to minimize the weed seed germination. Deeply means for an hour per zone and infrequently means weekly during the summer. Mow bermuda at your mower's lowest setting, and fertilize monthly for best control.

Here's my strategy, see what you think. Clear the ground of trash and sticks, etc. Trim up any small shrubs or perennials so you can see what you're doing. Take old newspapers and make a pad with 7 layers of newsprint. Starting at the outward edge, begin layering sections of pads, like you're shingling a roof. Overlap the pads so that it's not easy for soil to wash under the edges. Do not put the newspaper right up next to shrub trunks or perennial crowns. Next, mulch at the proper depth with material of choice. Next, sprinkle the Preen over the mulch, keeping it from staying on the leaves of shrubs or other plants. This helps keep perennial weeds from coming up and starving them of light. The Preen helps prevent blown in seeds from germinating. You have to reapply the Preen after 3 months, by the way. The newspaper will degrade over a single season, but by then it's prevented many weed seeds from germinating. The earthworms like it too! If you do this regularly, weeds become less and less.

What you are likely seeing is a product consisting of corn gluten meal. It has some preemergent qualities, but it is important to understand that how well it works depends greatly on your climate and the weather you have. It also is fairly short lived, acting from 4-5 weeks, maybe 6 weeks max. It is also a fertilizer. A search for corn gluten meal on Gardenweb or Google will give you plenty of opinions.