How to Keep Grass From Growing in Flower Beds & Keep It Out of the Vegetable Garden
Gardens -- especially those growing on the edge of lawns -- are quite susceptible to invasion by grassy weeds. Grass may creep over from nearby, or seed lying dormant in the soil may germinate long after the garden is established. There are many types of grassy weeds and some are more aggressive than others. To keep grass out of your vegetable or flower garden, you must employ a number of prevention methods, the most important of which is to thoroughly remove any current grass infestation -- roots and all. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to the surface of the soil according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then water it in with roughly 1 inch of water from your hose. Pre-emergent herbicides work by creating an herbicide barrier in the soil that prevents all seeds from germinating. This includes grass seed as well as that of any flowers or vegetables. Do not apply pre-emergent herbicides to newly seeded gardens until the seedlings are several inches high.
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Cover the garden soil with mulch. Organic mulch, like wood chips or pine needles, will suppress the growth of any annual grass seed or seedlings.
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Install (according to the manufacturer's instructions) landscape fabric over the soil to control aggressive perennial grassy weeds like bermudagrass. Landscape fabric is best applied to the soil before the flowers or vegetables are planted. Lay the landscape fabric, then cut holes in its surface and plant the seed through them. Once in place, water and nutrients can permeate the fabric, but the sunlight that grass needs to grow cannot.
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Install lawn edging to your flower or vegetable garden on the border between the lawn and garden. Lawn edging is available in a variety of forms, from stone pavers to small plastic fences. Lawn edging creates a physical barrier between the garden and adjacent grass to keep it from creeping in among your carefully tended plants.
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References
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