3/4 of my 40’x80’ garden is planted, as are 9 fruit and nut trees in my new orchard.
I am exhausted!
I still need to plant the rest in another 2 weeks, then the weeding begins.
How do y’all manage all that work?
In one word : "mulch" !
It impedes weeds sprouting, and development, smothers new weed seedlings
It retains moisture - less watering, fewer trips to the garden
Use whats available (and free) before you buy !
Mulch: rice hulls , buckwheat hulls, leaf litter, pine needles, straw ,
coccoa hulls, rinsed seaweed, pine bark , commercial fabric, cardboard , and newspapers, etc., etc.,...
I put down paper/cardboard with straw/grass clipping/leaves on top. Just layer over it year after year. Worms love it. No weeding and much less watering when it’s hot and dry.
I save junk mail, cardboard cereal boxes, amazon boxes, walmart circulars, kroger sale papers, newspapers from my MIL (who helpfully bundles them all up for me!), packing paper and that sort of thing. Also toothpaste boxes, cream cheese boxes, basically any ‘paper’ product that isn’t from something ‘made in china’ (like electronics, kids toys, ...)
The first year I did this I weeded half time and mulched half time. By first of August it was all mulched and I didn’t weed again :)
Also keeps blight off my maters (blight lives in the soil and weeding or rain will stir it up on the leaves to cause headaches)
Some people use old carpet, but a 3200sqft patch is a bit big for carpet scraps. I use the heavier corrugated cardboard pieces for the walkways in more used crops (tomatoes, string beans, etc) that will be picked every day or every other day. I use the newspaper and thinner cardboard around the tomatoes/peppers/etc and also for stuff like corn that you plant once and then basically leave alone till harvest. I just drop the soaker hoses on top of the mulch for good measure if I need to water. I leave one on the mater row and bury it in the mulch so water doesn’t spray up on them.
YMMV.
This works for me and I have a 50X50 and a 50X75 plot. I start mulching in Feb/March and use a dibber (from amazon) to poke holes to plant stuff using a little topsoil/potting soil.
I just tell myself to do 15-30 minutes worth, and then I can quit. Often I go for several hours once I get started.
My beds are all sectioned off into 3x4 ft beds, so I do have a built in stopping point to just do small amounts as needed. That also helps me get started.
Hubby on the other hand is just amazing how he can do all that work, but me-I’m a pansy. LOL