Weed Control and Mulches

Hi, I am a newbie to DG, and I have already learned so much with my lurking. I started my first vegetable garden (500sqf) this year, and I underestimated weeds. All my vegetables/flowers/herbs are up, healthy and doing fine, but I am constantly weeding - especially now that I can identify a weed from a seedling! I am hoping that once the flowers/herbs/vegetables grow in, the weeds will be minimized - but regardless, I would like to add either a living mulch (I read somewhere about clover or alfalfa?) or straw (peppers and squash?) and grass clippings (tomatoes and asparagus?). Is it too late to plant a living mulch? Are there tricks to the straw/grass - plants to avoid mulching? Are there other options? What are your experiences? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, and thanks!

Hi, Small world. I live in Woonsocket RI. I have relatives I see every week in Sutton Mass.
Go to http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lazylandscaping/g/livingmulch.htm and check out the different links there, maybe you'll find some help.

Small world indeed! Thanks for the link, a good place to start....:->

Bug, I've been using straw, but it was a bad batch (full of seed heads) and is pretty unwieldy to use... if I had means of chopping it it might be better.

So I'm now trying what my husband's family (Mennonite) has done for years: grass clippings. I know people worry about them burning plants, etc. We don't put the clippings right up by the stems, and all seems to be well so far. I've got a large lawn.

My gut feeling is that the best (non synthetic) mulch is the one you can easily get your hands on.

Hi Zeppy, I actually placed straw yesterday under my peppers, tomatoes and starwberries. I agree, It was very unweildy, and I was picking out many heads - hopefully I did not just make my weed problem worse! I also over bought straw - who knew that 1 bale would be enough? I think I will also use grass clippings in some parts of my garden.

I hesitated to use a living mulch (such as clover) because everything I read said that you should mow or cut the mulch after it flowers - being used between my garden plants, I thought it might be difficult. I might try a rye as a cover crop at the end of the season, mow it down early spring. Thanks Zeppy!

Bug,
I hate weeding and hand watering. Last year I got some weedblock at BJ's, 4'x200' roll $25. Planned out the garden and layed down soaker hoses, 4 of them connected to a 4-way manifold. After the hoses are layed out I cover the garden in weedblock. When my seedlings are ready I cut a patch out of the weedblock and insert the plant. When the plants grow a little bigger and the weather starts warming up I cover the weedblock with straw. I connected my soakers to a programable auto watering valve. Now my only chore is to watch things grow and spray for bugs occationally. This has worked great.
Dave