Weedless Gardening

By Lee Reich The phrase "weedless gardening" seems like an oxymoron, but Lee Reich claims it's possible. Reich, who has worked in soil and plant research for the USDA and Cornell University, spent 20 years refining his system of gardening from the top down. The major components of this system are: 1. Minimize soil disruption, 2. Protect the soil surface, 3. Avoid soil compaction, and 4. Use drip irrigation. Reich does not till soil in the spring; he says that exposes hidden weed seeds to light and oxygen, enabling them to sprout. Instead, he says to prepare soil simply cut down or mow weeds or grass. Then lay down 4 layers of newspaper and cover that with mulch 1-3 inches deep. You actually plant seeds or seedlings in this mulch without making holes in the paper. Reich fills in all the details on his method, including a section that covers individual vegetables. (He doesn't even dig deep for asparagus!) He claims his 2000 sq. foot garden needs less than 5 minutes of weeding per week! Softcover 200 pp