My wife is growing some onions but we're having a recurring weed
problem. There's a pic at
http://www.dthorpe.net/viewing/weeds.htm
We've dug over ther weeds several times but still this happens. I'd
prefer not to use weed killer because of the proximity of the
onions...what did I do wrong and is there an answer?

"lemmy" wrote in message
ups.com...
My wife is growing some onions but we're having a recurring weed
problem. There's a pic at
http://www.dthorpe.net/viewing/weeds.htm
We've dug over ther weeds several times but still this happens. I'd
prefer not to use weed killer because of the proximity of the
onions...what did I do wrong and is there an answer?

You didn't do anything wrong. You've got weeds, like we all have.I think
there's ground elder, amongst other things. There isn't a permanent fix, you
will always have weeds, just as you will always have slugs and snails. You
can minimise it, but it's a lot of work. Hoe around the onions, but be
careful not to damage the bulbs. When the crop is lifted, remove as much of
the weeds root material as you can, but don't get paranoid about it.

Steve

The message . com
from "lemmy" contains these words:

My wife is growing some onions but we're having a recurring weed
problem. There's a pic at
http://www.dthorpe.net/viewing/weeds.htm
We've dug over ther weeds several times but still this happens. I'd
prefer not to use weed killer because of the proximity of the
onions...what did I do wrong and is there an answer?

You didn't do anything wrong, that's a perfectly normal crop of weeds
which is bound to germinate on any bare cultivated bit of soil.

The answer is to get down on your knees, with a radio and mug of tea
close by, and hand weed them out..pull them out with your fingers while
they are still small and weak enough to do that. It's a lot less work
than letting them get bigger and having to use a hand fork. Collect them
as you weed and dump them in the compost bin. Keep up the weeding every
few weeks throughout summer.


Janet.



Janet

"Janet Baraclough" wrote after
"lemmy" asked
My wife is growing some onions but we're having a recurring weed
problem. There's a pic at
http://www.dthorpe.net/viewing/weeds.htm
We've dug over ther weeds several times but still this happens. I'd
prefer not to use weed killer because of the proximity of the
onions...what did I do wrong and is there an answer?

You didn't do anything wrong, that's a perfectly normal crop of weeds
which is bound to germinate on any bare cultivated bit of soil.

The answer is to get down on your knees, with a radio and mug of tea
close by, and hand weed them out..pull them out with your fingers while
they are still small and weak enough to do that. It's a lot less work
than letting them get bigger and having to use a hand fork. Collect them
as you weed and dump them in the compost bin. Keep up the weeding every
few weeks throughout summer.

Or get a good hoe and go over the ground whenever they are getting too much
like I do on the allotment.
I do recommend the smaller Push Pull Weeder from Wolf, handles come
separately and you get the length that suits you
http://www.wolf-garden.com/public_uk...7025460&SKIP=0

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote after

The answer is to get down on your knees, with a radio and mug of tea
close by, and hand weed them out..pull them out with your fingers while
they are still small and weak enough to do that. It's a lot less work
than letting them get bigger and having to use a hand fork. Collect them
as you weed and dump them in the compost bin. Keep up the weeding every
few weeks throughout summer.

Or get a good hoe and go over the ground whenever they are getting too much
like I do on the allotment.

I don't like hoeing round onions..I reckon it disturbs their shallow
roots too much

I do recommend the smaller Push Pull Weeder from Wolf, handles come
separately and you get the length that suits you
http://www.wolf-garden.com/public_uk...7025460&SKIP=0

I was using mine this afternon and it really is one of the best
garden tools ever made.

Janet

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:


I do recommend the smaller Push Pull Weeder from Wolf, handles come
separately and you get the length that suits you

http://www.wolf-garden.com/public_uk...?article_id=96
7025460&SKIP=0

I was using mine this afternon and it really is one of the best
garden tools ever made.

given the amazing number of weed seedlings sprouting up here (much more
so than in our old garden) I think one of those might be very useful.

As well as weeding, mulching those areas that can be mulched can help
control the weeds - we've got a a grass clipping mulch around the broad
beans.
--
Chris French
Garden blog: http://chrisfrench.org/gardenblog/

Thanks for the re-assuring replies - being new to this, I'd somehow got
the impression that a place should be cleared of weeds and that they
wouldn't re-occur so quickly.
Out there with the radio and kneepads then!

The message om
from "lemmy" contains these words:

Thanks for the re-assuring replies - being new to this, I'd somehow got
the impression that a place should be cleared of weeds and that they
wouldn't re-occur so quickly.

Think of weeding like washing up ...even if you did it all last week,
by next Friday you're going to have to do it all over again :-)

Janet