GARDENING: ‘HOW CAN I WEED MY VEGETABLE GARDEN?’
Q. I have a 1,200 sq-yard plot that I want to grow vegetables in, but there is a major problem with weeds. Due to a permanently leaking, six-feet-in-diameter water pipeline that passes close by, there is excess water which — after digging a deep trench — is channelled into a well so that it doesn’t go to waste. The land now is not waterlogged. The problem is that, while the land was getting so much water, weeds — with roots going down four to five feet — got well-established. I had hired four labourers to dig out every single weed complete with roots. After that, a tractor dug over the plot again, followed by labourers picking up every single piece of weed root. This, however, has not stopped the weeds from sprouting again. How can I get rid of them so that I can grow vegetables?
A. The weeds have obviously had time to get well-established and will have scattered a massive amount of seed into the soil: this seed has the potential to keep on germinating for years. Digging the plot over will have further disbursed the seed. The most effective solution I can recommend is to hire a professional, full-kitted out person to blast every square inch of the plot with a horticultural flamethrower to kill as many of the remaining weeds seeds as possible. I dislike this method as it completely sterilises the soil and eradicates important macro-organisms from the soil, along with essential insects such as worms and beetles, but it is far preferable to using toxic chemicals.
After this sterilising is done, you will need to add copious amounts of old, well-rotted, organic manure and organic compost — and to repeat this process after each crop has been harvested. Over time, this will rebalance the soil and make it healthy again. There will, naturally, still be some weeds popping up in the soil as weed seeds do come in manure and are dropped by birds, as well as carried by wind, but regular hand-weeding should take care of these. These weeds, as long as they are removed when young and well before they reach the seeding stage, can be added to one of the compost heaps/bins you need to establish for maintaining long-term soil health.
All your gardening queries are answered here
Q. I would like to know if vanilla beans will grow in Karachi or not. If so, where can I get the plants?
A. I believe that vanilla orchids have been grown in Karachi but only in greenhouse conditions where humidity levels can be permanently controlled. Contact the local orchid society for advice.