This summer marks our fifth year managing our property organically. It’s been a long, hard road and we’ve seen improvements (and a few deteriorations) over that time period. At this point, it’s time for me to put some effort into the management. I need to have my garden soil tested and then search out the amendments that are suggested to improve the soil. I’ll be honest and tell you that it’s just a little bit overwhelming. And, that’s okay. Chemical-free management is not for the faint-of-heart.
I see article after article about managing “postage stamp” yards. It’s like every magazine I get thinks I own a tiny lawn. According to a few lawn management websites, the average lawn in the U.S. is about 1/5th of an acre. Yep, I’d say postage stamp. Here in PA, the average is about 1/3rd of an acre. If you have more land than that then this post is for you.
I grew up on a 40 acre farm where we mowed two acres weekly and horse pastures as needed. My parents still live on 17 of those 40 acres and my sister lives on 15 acres, I have a measly two that often overwhelms me. Even though I have much less acreage than the rest of my family, two acres is still a lot to manage without pesticides and herbicides. Things get out of control really quickly with a week or two of rain and warm weather. Hello, August.
If you’re struggling to keep up a property and stick to your organic ideals, let me help. I’ve read many articles that suggest you put some elbow grease into it and “just pull the weeds!” Ha! You’ve got to be kidding me. Unless I’m retired with every waking hour at my disposal (like the guy down the street apparently is), that is never going to work for me. I’m no slacker but there just aren’t enough hours in the day, nor enough muscles in my back, to let me get all the weeds pulled. I would simply have to start all over again as soon as I “finished.”
Before we begin, let me help you develop a mindset for organic gardening and lawn management. You need to know:
1) Unless you are OCD, hire gardening help or never sleep, your property will never be perfectly groomed. You must find the degree that you are willing to accept. If you can afford it, I would suggest hiring a cash-poor teenager. Even if you do that, these strategies will help you direct them on how to manage your garden.
2) It’s okay to have a few weeds here and there. Weeds give you a lot of information about your soil (I’m just learning that) and many of them are medicinally beneficial (think chickweed, plantain and dandelion.)
3) Organic management TAKES MORE TIME. It is not a “do nothing” approach, in fact, it is just the opposite.
4) Organic management works best when you keep up with it, doing some work every day and not allowing things to get out-of-hand. Big weeds, fungal disease and persistent pests tempt you to step out of the organic boundaries just to get things under control. I know, I’ve felt it often. Grapes … need I say more?
5) Whether you are producing fruits and vegetables in an organic garden or you just want to keep a pretty lawn, weeds do not reflect poorly on your character. Let me repeat that.
Weeds DO NOT mean you are a lazy person or that you don’t care about your space.
A lawn that is mowed to a healthy height but is dotted with clover or plantain can simply mean that you value a less toxic world than one that is “perfectly groomed” with a single grass type (something that is completely unnatural in the world, by the way).
All that being said, here are my top strategies for maintaining my own lawn and garden organically. Feel free to add your own strategies in the comments! I’d love to have more in my own arsenal.
1) Yes, pull the weeds. If you have time and they are easily pulled including the root, by all means, take the most traditional route and pull them. For me, that’s most easily done in my raised beds, gravel paths and in the ground after a good, soaking rain. If the ground is dry or the weeds are particularly tenacious, then there are other methods. See below.
2) Have you tried a stirrup hoe?! This thing is the best new tool on the property and has revitalized my love of gardening and managing without herbicides. I honestly can’t believe how simple it is to get rid of small weeds too tender to pull out by the roots. Small weeds can be cut off with this tool in seconds and they don’t come back. The smaller the root system, the less likely the plant is to return. This is one of the most important reasons to keep at it regularly. A large dandelion plant, cut off in this fashion will regenerate quickly. In that case, pull or dig the roots out. A stirrup hoe works best in soft soil or on gravel areas. Hard, clay soil makes it difficult to drag the hoe through but this tool is worth its weight in gold!
3) Vinegar and orange oil weed spray. I suspect this has been an industry secret for many years, maybe pre-Roundup. I had no idea that there was anything called “agricultural vinegar” until a couple years ago. Basically, it’s vinegar that is 15% acidity compared to 5% acidity of regular white vinegar from the grocery store. I use this on the most difficult spots to manage (like around rock edges) and here’s my recipe. Like I mention in the recipe post, I do not like using this much because of the GMO corn component. White vinegar is typically made from corn and 98% of the corn in this country is genetically modified. Any purchase of a GM product invites growth of that industry. (Vote with your dollars, friends!) At the same time, there is not an organic option for this product. Being forced to choose, I would rather put vinegar on my soil than glyphosate.
4) Weed-whacker (gas and/or man-powered) – Oh, how I love and hate this tool. It’s so inconvenient to use because of the mess it makes but it also makes short work of tall weeds and gives you instant gratification. We have increased the use of the weed-whacker over the last several years. Around and under fences, edging the raised beds, areas between garden plots and the driveway are all good candidates for managing weeds without pulling them. Just cut them down so low you either don’t notice them or they die. The downside is that it’s dirty, back-breaking and time-consuming work and it uses gasoline. The upside is that it gets the job done right away. You can cut the weeds down to ground level and it doesn’t leave brown, dead edges. You can also manage larger areas where a riding mower might not fit.
The other option is this vintage weed whacker. I used one of these and scythe as a kid. They get the job done and you get a work out at the same time, although this tool is more effective in grassy areas rather than edging work.
5) Plant a beneficial invasive – While this may be counterintuitive to managing a property, I’ve used this strategy a number of times. When it comes to controlling certain areas, sometimes it’s just not worth the fight. I’ve been known to plant English ivy, vinca, ferns and mint teas (photo above) in areas that I just can’t seem to keep the weeds down. I let them do some of the dirty work for me by shading out weeds and covering the ground so seeds can’t take root. You need to be careful and evaluate the area though because some of these plants can quickly get out of control and overgrow your lawn.
When it comes to invasives, the tea shown above keeps us in summer drinks all season long while it crowds out the crab grass that I can’t seem to keep out of this garden corner. It’s a win/win situation but you also can’t be afraid to rip and pull when necessary to keep it within its boundaries.
I hope some of these suggestions are new to you or at least help you think about chemical-free management in a more positive light. Once I understood the damage that chemicals were doing to my garden, it wasn’t a difficult decision stop using them. The earthworms have returned to show me the soil is continually healing.