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Self-Sufficiency - oh my!
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Grass is a persistent plant that teaches gardeners the beauty of some plants to overcome all obstacles and continue to thrive no matter what life throws at them.
Well, at least that’s one way to look at it.
While many gardeners might become frustrated enough with grass that they turn to toxins like Roundup and other herbicides, these chemicals do so much harm to the environment that in my opinion, no amount of grass or invasive plants are worth it.
That’s where regenerative gardening techniques come in to save the day. When done correctly, regenerative gardening practices like mulching and ground covers can keep your garden grass-free. Moreover, the permaculture principle of “observe and interact” is a crucial component for staying on top of any weed pressure.
In this article, I’ll share with you how I keep grass out of my garden, along with tips and tricks to help you be more successful with managing this pesky plant.
Regenerative gardening is an approach to land stewardship that takes inspiration from regenerative agriculture. It involves organic and environmentally friendly practices, such as avoiding soil disturbance. The main goal is to enhance soil health, store carbon, and minimize the need for external inputs in the gardening process.
It is important to acknowledge that Indigenous and Black farmers are the original regenerative farmers and gardeners, and we are indebted to them for their knowledge, methodology, and inspiration.
Regenerative gardening practices include:
Grass does serve a purpose in the ecosystem and while it can be a nuisance in the garden, it probably was growing in the area where your garden is located first.
However, grass can compete with plants and choke out seedlings for crops that you want to establish in your garden. Grass can spread quickly and cause more work if not kept under control.
Mulch, in abundant quantities, can help smother grass so that it dies back and offers organic matter to the soil.
I’ve also found that if grass does come up through the mulched layer, over time it becomes easier to fully pull out. It’s all about vigilance and understanding that there is some maintenance that needs to be done in tandem with mulching to keep your garden grass-free.
Woodchip mulch for pathways and perennials
If your goal is to keep grass out of pathways or from choking out perennials, I’ve found wood chips to be the most effective for this. The best part is that wood chips are often free. Make friends with your local arborists, or sign up for chipdrop.com. I’ve noticed that if you don’t live in the city or suburbs, chipdrop might take a while to come out to where you live. In these instances, local companies are more reliable.
If possible, ask the person who drops off your woodchips to dump them as close to the area that needs to be mulched as possible. Shorter trips with the wheelbarrow make for easier work.
If the grass is taller than a couple of inches in the pathways, cut it back before piling on the wood chips.
The more woodchips you can add to the pathways, the more grass control you’ll have. At least 6 inches is a good minimum to aim for.
Over time, the woodchips will break down, so expect to add more woodchips to your pathways every year or two.
Organic straw and leaves for garden beds
If your mission is to eradicate grass that’s growing in your garden beds, organic straw or autumn leaves are a great tool to help you achieve this.
Note that I specify organic straw. This is because conventional straw can have a persistant herbicide in it that can impact growth of plants in your garden, especially legumes like peas and bush beans.
If your bed is currently planted with a crop, scatter the organic straw around the plants so that no light can penetrate through to the soil. I find that a 6 inch layer or more is sufficient.
Is there grass seed sometimes in organic straw? Yes, sometimes. But it’s very easy to remove because it’s kind of “floating” above the soil. I usually just turn the straw over so that the grass and straw can decompose.
Like with woodchips, the straw and leaves will break down over time and you’ll need to reapply it to your garden yearly.
When you sow seeds in your garden, you’ll need to pull the mulch back so that you can support the growth of the seed. As those plants become established, you can move the mulch back to cover the soil.
Other benefits of mulch
Mulch in the garden is a tremendous help with water retention. In our dry summer climate, mulch helps us to significantly reduce the amount of water that the garden needs. This helps stretch out our stored rain water supply throughout the growing season.
As mulch breaks down, it feeds soil microbes and turns into organic matter, which creates healthier soil overall.
Certain food crops and herbs are just as resilient and tenacious as grass, and can be planted to help you maintain a grass-free garden.
Ground cover works with the principle of regenerative agriculture that strives to keep the soil planted and covered. Moreover, many of these ground covers are perennials.
Classic ground covers that can suppress grass growth are:
Cover crops are a core tenet of regenerative agriculture. They keep the soil planted, provide cover for the soil, and add organic matter at the same time.
Certain cover crops are known for their ability to help smother weeds as they grow. These cover crops should be sown when no other food crop is grown in an area of the garden. Terminate the cover crop before it goes to seed with a crimper or black plastic tarp.
The USDA recommends planting a mix of cover crop seeds in the same area, so that faster-establishing plants can start to shade out weeds and longer-living plants can continue the fight.
The organization GROW recommends the following cover crops to keep back grass:
Additionally, The Midwest Cover Crops Counsil recommends a summer-planted buckwheat cover crop to help with any areas that you’re okay not growing a summer crop in.
A well-made black plastic tarp can survive for many seasons in the garden and can support you with a few regenerative practices.
The most relevant task that a black plastic tarp can perform here is killing back grass or any other weeds.
A tarp does this extremely quickly during the warmth of the summer. In fact, you can use a tarp to kill back areas of lawn before broadforking and putting in a new garden in a couple of weeks with this method.
A tarp will need to be placed over garden beds for a few months during colder winter months in order to kill off grass growth, but it’s still effective.
While we try to reduce the amount of plastic in the garden, in my opinion sturdy and well-made plastic is better than toxic herbicides.
As the old saying goes, the best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow. To keep up with grass growing in your garden beds and pathways, you need to be actively looking for it in the garden.
Observation can help you to add more mulch to certain areas, or to make plans for cover cropping or planting a ground cover.
When dealing with persistent plants such as grass, the gardener does need to match the grass’s persistence in order to keep it back.
Cardboard can be a great way to kill back weeds and grass in the garden. Cardboard is often recommended for sheet mulching and lasagna gardening, where the cardboard is the first layer on top of grass or other weeds and then covered with compost, soil, or other organic matter.
However, with what I’ve learned about the potential for PFAS in recycled cardboard and the uncertainty of the inks, glues, and tapes that can be present, it’s not something I personally utilize in my garden.
In September of 2023, this study out of Norway found that recycled papers and cardboard contained PFAS.
Justin Boucher, operations manager for Food Packaging Forum, notes that companies who make cardboard might not know if the recycled material has PFAS in it. He says, “if you're allowed to use recycled pulp in food contact, paper, and board packaging, and you don't have total control or oversight over what material was recycled, you don't always know what chemicals were present.”
Remember, a grass-free garden is a gradual process that requires patience and ongoing maintenance. The regenerative practices mentioned above can help you achieve a thriving and weed-resistant garden space without the use of synthetic chemicals.
Embrace the opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable gardening methods as you create a harmonious and productive outdoor space.
