Natural weed killer

[SploT]

Now isn't that topic a contradiction? Any way i have a 163ft long garden - no I'm not joking. I have a small vegetable patch at the moment and have been playing a bit this year (i only moved here in October and the garden was a jungle). I don't want to go out and buy weed killer (I'm tight and think there must be another way other than infecting the soil for so long).

I heard that cigerette butts in water makes a good killer! Is that true? any one have a any details? or maybe a cheaper way than me smoking more cigs!

[MKG]

Nicotine compounds do make good insecticides - I'm not sure about weed killer, though.

[Mainer in Exile]

Hoeing and mulching are the only natural ways I know to kill weeds.

[MINESAPINT]

Weedkiller - I hate the stuff! Our neighbour has just sprayed his lawn while the wind was blowing in our direction. I have a long border planted with thousands of poppies which are now turning brown at the edges!

Additionally the local farmer sprays weeds regularly yes exactly regularly! Prooves the stuff does not work. We just have to accept it weeds are difficult and the only organic way to beat them is by hard work & in particular persistence. On my veg patch I have creeping thistle and there is no way of getting rid of it with roots going down 4 feet and creeping all over. I just hoe the tops off when they come through.

[Annpan]

The only natural weed killer IMO (besides boiling water - on patio slabs) is elbow grease.

If you find a reliable source of the stuff do tell

We tackled our garden with a strimmer and a rake, loppers, a spade, a pushmower and plenty of elbow grease and a year later most of it is now under control - it was also a jungle I don't know it's size in feet but it is 89mx11m... so pretty big

Stick at it splot, you'll get there

[SploT]

I have heard of salt water being used but it's not very good if you want to grow things on the soil in the long term. I'll give the boiling water a go and see what happens.

All I need to know about life I learned from gardening.

[marshlander]

A weed wand works well in paving.

Our problem is couch grass: The bed behind the barn has so much grass in it, oh mowed it today - i kid you not!

[marshlander]

Many moons ago we lived next door to an silly moo who decided to get rid of the weeds in her lawn with pathclear! It didn't occur to her that grass is a 'weed' when it's in a path!

Her entire lawn turned brown within a few days. Lucky for us we were uphill of her but the people the other side lost their hedge and half their lawn too!

[Mainer in Exile]

There is the chicken coop/garden method, outlined by John Silveira in Backwoods Home Magazine. If you have room for two plots, each is used alternately as a chicken run, then as garden. The chickens spread the manure and pick out the weeds, preparing each section in turn for veg.

Details here: Chicken Coop / Garden
and here, with rabbit hutch added:
Chicken Coop / Garben with Rabbit Hutch

If I had more room, I'd adopt this arrangement.

[MINESAPINT]

I really like that idea but my plot is too established to make the change. Permanent beds of asparagus, raspberries, blackcurrants etc. Starting from scratch I would certainly have given it a go.

[Annpan]

We are planning a chook tractor - along similar lines as above but you put chickens in a bottomless run which you can move about. Nev uses this.

I plan on making a run the same size as my raised beds and every few day I can move the chickens on... Not sure how well it will work with our couch grass that is in our 'orchard' but hey, who knows.