Last night I could not sleep for thinking about the newest enemy, nut grass. Actually, I've been growing it now for several years, pulling when I saw it, not knowing what it was. Only this past week did my Dad identify it for me. As I read about, I wanted to cry. It has taken over veggie bed #1. We put black plastic down for over a year, pulled it up this year and planted tomatoes and asparagus, only to have this sedge return almost immediately.
To spray or not to spray? Turns out there is only 1 chemical out there that kills it (supposedly). It also kills everything else around it. I am not so keen on spraying - not at all. We have already sprayed horrible chemicals beyond the fence to try and erradicate the kudzu. I hate doing it, but feel it is a necessary evil. But to spray in the yard, so close to the other beds? If I did, I don't think I would ever want to plant food there again. If we spray, I think it would be so that they did not spread into the other veggie beds. But, I just can't bring myself to even ask Dan to do it.
Even though it means losing 2 years of growth and 30 dollars and a spreading of good compost....I don't think I want to move the asparagus plants out there...I am just too afraid of bringing along a piece of rhizome or a seed of nut grass. We cannot afford to lose another bed to the stuff. I'll harvest the tomatoes this year and bleach out the cages for use in another bed next year. I guess if we don't spray, we can see if the asparagus survives the sedge...we just have to avoid mowing the area....
Anyway...now where to make another large veggie bed? I could extend veggie bed #2 a little, but that means heading closer to the existing nut sedge....not good for a long term solution. The best thing, if I can get Dan to agree, is to turn the right side of the front yard into a bed (the left has too much shade, unless we made it a salad bar). The gazebo makes it a pain, and it is not ideal since it is the front yard. but if we want to be a family of self-sufficiency, function has to come first. I could go around the side of the house with the raspberry to make the perennial veggie bed for asparagus and strawberries. Whereever we go, I want to do it right...I want to get a lawn cutter to take out all the grass. It is small enough that a daily rental should do the trick - well worth the $30 or so to not have to weed every minute of the day for the next 30 years. We have to start the bed soon, so it will be ready for fall planting....hot heat and harvest time is around the corner making it impossible to work on the bed - better get on it as soon as the chicken tractor is done. Sigh. it never ends. So much work, but so much fun.
PS - I looked up organic methods of getting rid of the grass. Seems the most promising is to spray with molasses. Strange. But is causes fire ant infestation and is not guaranteed, either. About 50% success. geez.