Newspaper Suppresses Weeds. Apply in the Fall, Less Work in Spring

The only plants that like this year’s odd weather are weeds and my oregano.  By the end of the summer, my garden looked like a jungle.  The weeds laughed at the mulch and the oregano, well you know the story.  As I yanked, cursed, and basically threw my back out of place, the LED went off in my head.  Why not pre-suppress the weed with newspaper in the fall rather than the spring?

Well talk about a duh moment.

Every spring, I get out there and heavily mulch.  As I mentioned above, the weeds just over take the garden, even with me being vigilant.  They seem to have a membership at one of those swanky gyms and get stronger and stronger each year.  Am I the only one who suffers from overly pushy weeds?

To make matters worse, the birds like to drop wild raspberries  (wineberries) and moon flowers seeds in the garden.  And then there are the endless tree saplings that show up out of nowhere.

Just, one more thing.  (Sorry to be so whiny.   I have no one to complain to.  Hubby?  Cave boys?  Don’t want to hear it.  You are the only one who seems to listen.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  We must be kindred spirits.)  Who can forget grass that likes to grow in the garden, but not on the lawn.  What’s up with that?

Honestly, sometimes, I think Mother Nature is just trying make sure I don’t fall aspleep at the hoe.

What Makes Fall So Wonderful?

Fall weather is fabulous compared to the overly hot summer we had in New Jersey.  Nothing is worse then pulling weeds when sweat is pouring into your eyes.  But, it you don’t keep up with weed removal, they will rule the world. (In second place are deplorable slugs. Need I say more?  Third place goes to those green worms aka those that eat up by kale and then leave their poop.  G-d, I hate them.)

Now, I am my own worse enemy.  Had I followed my own sage gardening advice I would have never planted oregano in my beds.  Remember, oregano is such a thug, and it rules the garden.  Everything bows down to it.

Back to fall.  The weeds seem to take a little breather by the time fall appears.  I noticed there wasn’t as many of them since I was vigilant every month to yank them.  So, I decided it was time to peel back the mulch (or what was left of it) and put newspaper down on the bare soil.    Not one flimsy sheet but about three to four sheets.

In the past, I found the newspaper can hold back the weeds for about a year since some weeds actually grow in between the newspaper and the mulch.  *Sign*  You can’t win against weeds, but you can slow them down.

How to Source Newspaper

On recycling day, I changed from mild mannered, “think I am a farmer” Anna to commando newspaper stalker.  You might have seen my mini van pull up to your recycling pile. Yep, I am the one, who rifles through your recycling in search of newspaper. I can’t believe how many of you read People magazine.  But, don’t worry. I am very neat and put everything back the way it was.

So, here is the drill for you to become a newspaper comando.   Run quickly out of your car.  Sprinting is encourage.  Great for the heart.  Sift through your neighbors recycling.   Grab the paper.  Note, you can do some lunges when you reach for the paper since it helps shape the rump.  Again sprint back to the car with your treasure.  Keep that heart rate up.  Do this five or six times in the morning. People will stop you over time to ask you where you got that lean body.   (Anna, keep dreaming. )

Frankly, I am surprised that no one has asked what I am doing.  Who takes other people’s newspaper?

The only problem is less and less people are buying the newspaper, so my scavenger hunt is getting larger.  I even go to the recycling dump and fish out newspaper.  Worse yet, I wait until people show up with their paper, and ask them for it.  No one asks why I want their paper.  Not even curious.  Aren’t they dying to know? Would you ask?

I love newspaper.  Maybe I should start hording it now.  It is on the way out just like the incandescent light bulbs and land line phones.  I hope I won’t be on a corner begging for newspaper in a couple of years.  So worth it to suppress those darn weeds.  Oh, I forgot.  Unloved flowers.

 Join the conversation

•  How do you suppress the weeds?
• Do you clean up your garden in the fall or wait until the spring?
• Do you use newspaper to suppress weeds?  Plastic?
• Do you ever use newspaper in your vegetable beds?
• Is there a hormone I can take that makes me stronger than the weeds?  Suzanne Sommers, any ideas?

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• Natural Weed Killers. Learn What Works.
• Top 5 Fall Garden Maintenance Tips to Make Spring Gardening Easier
• 12 Spring Gardening Maintenance Tips You Must Do Now
• Mulching Trees: Are You Smothering them to Death?