Your garden ever get so weedy that you plowed it under?

I'm about to throw the towel in on mine. I've had to work more overtime at work than usual and then the days I've had off it was raining. Some kind of weed has taken over. I'm to the point of just plowing it under. Anybody else been here before?

Sounds like my neighbors garden

Saying that, i'm cutting back next year, have other things I want/need to do than spend a couple hours after work everyday in the garden.

Every time we grow one... Starts with the best intentions but by the time late summer/fall comes around we
have run out of time, inclination, ambition, just plain old give a darn.Weeds and veggies make good mulch
for next year!! LOL!

Ya the area I have beets in is that way but I looked yesterday between the weeds and all and found that the beets are doing pretty good so I'll just let them be.

we were there once, but chose to let it go. Ended up getting some harvest anyways.
following year we realized the mistake of letting it go -- all those weeds had gone to seed and repopulated with a vengeance. Took a while to get it under control.

Yes if it didn't rain every day would plow it under. So many cloudy days nothing grew. Early planted corn looked terrible until the last few weeks and now it decided to grow.

No,but I know a guy who said he got so ticked at his wife that she wouldn't take care of hers that he went in with the lawn mower and mowed it all down. He said he scattered so may tomatoes that twenty years later the new owners were probably still wondering why tomatoes come up there every year. lol

They can certainly get away from you, and that will happen whenever something comes up, I let my small patch get out of hand last year due to a medical problem that sidelined me at a critical time that allowed the pigweed to take over, ground dries, gets hard, becomes a mess, but I did get a little out of it though. Same with sweet corn when I first started planting it again. Funny how a person can plant quite a bit, then realize, if you don't control the weeds on all of it, it makes a ton of work if you let it go, plants suffer, so does the crops.

The only thing I can think of that is simple and works, is grass or hay grass mulch. I cut my lawn and the neighbors now, both of which do not receive any chemical spray or fertilizer. Well mine did, (fertilizer only) this year as I replanted it. I cut it and leave it in swaths, then collect it with a lawn sweeper after its dry, sometimes it will have a little moisture, its just easier to deal with dry. I cover the stack to keep it dry as I used it. Once my plants are in I apply a generous amount over the soil. There is a lot of nitrogen in that green hay like mulch that will leach out in a good rain, it keeps the ground moist a long time as I have some clay in it, its easy to put down and it literally stops 95% of the weeds if not all of them. I've used small squares of hay, chaff from clean up, or what I make which I like the best as it fertilizes the soil. Last year I did not get it down in time, disaster... once planted, just lay it in there, within a week, you'll have no weeds and I never get weeds from it as has been mentioned by others doing this or using horse manure compost. This years is doing better than ever and its crowded with plants.

Going to try a photo off the phone of the small garden today. These plants have been in one month now.

One more

Been there in years past. Rains we're good until a couple weeks ago. Was able to keep larger areas clean and grandkids worked around the plants.

These pics are about a month old. Just got the first tomatoe and started canning green beens. Peppers are liking the heat and finally getting some size to the plant

My garden has never been wet like this before, nothing but mud for a long time. Can't even mow it off or plow it under and didn't get it all planted. w.c. ohio

I bet it was pretty quiet at the dinner table that night. After the storm. Then there was quite a dry spell I bet. LOL

Ross

If my daddy saw my garden he would turn over in his grave. I got a late start because of rain. I planted and then no rain then it started to rain again and the crab grass, sedge, etc. went crazy. I mowed the snap beans because I decided it wasn't worth trying to find them in the weeds. My sweet corn,tomatoes, squash, melons are below average. I have a peacch and apple and the peaches didn't make because of the cold weather at fruit set. The apples are small and I will make cider from them. Maybe better next year.

Rusty it must be very wet there I think that I can see a cat tail!

I gave up, and mowed off green beans, okra and lettuce/spinach/kale a few weeks ago, and scattered soybeans for ground cover and soil improvement - and now the weeds are about to take the soybeans!

I got some tillage radish seed to scatter later in the year. I may need to mow again, Roundup and till before I can get it planted.

Bet there no shortage of meat at the diner table that night, lots of hot tongue and cold shoulder for sure.

Its been so dry here in north carolina close to charlotte my garden was awefull. The heat
and it being so dry everything just burn up. I tried to water as much as i could in the
evenings but it never was enough. So dry the deer actually ate the green tomatos off the
vines and even ate the tomato plants also. They have never done that before. I guess with
no rain theres nothing growing in the woods for them to eat. I guess i cant blaim them
much but dog gone leave me at least one.

This year it's been too much rain, too many weeds, and too many bugs in our garden without the time
available to spend on it. I've pretty much lost interest for this year so yes, the plow does look
tempting.

Chris just wrote my response for me!

Every year it's "THIS is going to be the year..."

But each year ends the same.

After years of combatting the weeds, critters, and lack of rainfall, I have solved most of my problems. For the weeds, I put down weed barrier fabric in between the rows. Now, in about 2 hours a week, the weeds are under control. For the critters, I put up an electric fence. Now at least the ground hogs and rabbits stay out. For the moisture, I added drip line irrigation. Granted it is some work, but it is worth it in the end.
I just picked 7 pounds of tomatoes yesterday. At the price they are getting at the farm stands and farmers' markets, that is between $20 and $30 worth of produce. Also picked cucumbers, peppers, squash, and sweet basil. Carrots are starting to size up, Brussels sprouts are beginning to mature, celery is starting to look nice, second planting beans are blooming, and I could keep going. Takes time, patience, and will power to overcome the challenges. Only took me 25 years to accomplish this.

(quoted from post at 18:50:16 07/20/15) I'm about to throw the towel in on mine. I've had to work more overtime at work than usual and then the days I've had off it was raining. Some kind of weed has taken over. I'm to the point of just plowing it under. Anybody else been here before?

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Not only the weeds but with it continuously raining I can't spray for bugs either. I never realized that grass clippings work that good. I will have to start doing that.

I'm tellin ya, LOL ! it just takes the work right out of it. The area in the photos that is clear, just mulch I left for future plantings. Today I'll uncover it and plant mostly greens that will be just right when the rest of the crops are ripe. Might even put in a 2nd crop of cukes, as I really like those daily in the salad.

Dry it like you would quality hay, but if its a little moist and green, its fine. Only reason I don't haul it in wet is that its too heavy on the lawn tractor and sweep, so much easier dry and it does not turn to mush like wet clippings will underfoot.

No weeds to speak of here and its been down 1 month, + it does have a good amount of nitrogen. I've piled it up it near stalks of corn, and those plants were the best in the patch, or that side which seriously lacked in soil quality 2 ears per, forget what type of corn it was, might have been silver queen, was the longest duration in the entire patch as I put that in the back rows so as not to shade the other varieties.

I don't know if when the grass mulch molds, if that causes powder mold on cukes. I just spotted it on the peonies further over in the yard, those I will cut back or spray or something. as its sure to get onto my cuke patch trellised on the fence that keeps the deer out. I could have those all season, but this mold does seem to do them in sometimes. In my opinion, grass mulch is the best weed control I can think of with extra benefits, at least in these parts it is.