White Vinegar -- non-toxic weed killing

Today I want to tell people about an easy way to get rid of weeds without using chemicals that are harmful to other plants as well as harmful to humans and wildlife.  Every time I see the Round Up commercial on TV of a guy spraying his suburban sidewalk and being so happy about getting rid of weeds in 5 minutes I want to scream - "remember silent spring!" If people only thought of birds dying off when buying the gallon container of Round Up -- birds, insects and other living beings they are killing!  Not BP oil spill - but the homeowner.


Use white vinegar as a weed killer.  Here are the easy steps showing how I got rid of crabgrass in bricks in my garden:

1) Buy a large container of white vinegar (boiling water is also good, but a bit more difficult to transfer to the garden)

2) Chose a sunny day.  Put white vinegar in a watering can.  I tried using sprayers but find that a watering can is better at providing enough vinegar to be effective.

Pour vinegar over weeds

3)  Early in the day, pour vinegar over weeds - this works especially well on sidewalks, brick patios.  Do NOT USE vinegar to get rid of weeds in your garden beds.  Be careful using vinegar near plants you want to grow.

4)  Let the sun and vinegar do their work.  At the end, the weeds will be dead.

Four hours later - weeds are dead and ready to be swept away.

Sometimes it helps to take a pledge

Here is a link to the esteemed Union of Concerned Scientists who articulate many sound principles that I suggest all gardeners pursue.  Here is a copy of the pledge statements.  I'm also enclosing some recent photos from my garden - it is fun to compare them to the small seedlings from April. 

I PLEDGE TO:

Build healthy soil that keeps heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and reduces the need for herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers, which generate global warming pollutants.

Frog Pond Gardens - Black Simpson Lettuce grown from seed

•  Have garden soil professionally tested to know your fertilizer needs and avoid over-applying.
•  In vegetable gardens, rotate crop locations from year to year to help keep pests and diseases at bay, reducing the need for energy-intensive chemicals.
•  Plant cover crops when other plants aren’t growing to protect and improve soil, increase carbon storage in soil, and reduce the need for fossil fuel-based fertilizers.

Choose low-emission garden tools and products.

•  Weed, prune, and rake leaves by hand and use an electric or push lawn mower.
•  Replace synthetic fertilizers and pesticides with compost and natural pest-control methods.Avoid peat, using compost or peat-free potting and seed-starting mixes instead. 

Frog Pond Gardens - Red Russian Kale grown from seed

Store carbon and save energy with trees and shrubs.

•  Plant trees and shrubs with long life expectancy that can store carbon for many years.
•  Position new trees where they will shade your home in summer or provide protection from winter winds.

 Frog Pond Gardens - Arugula grown from seed

Recycle yard and food waste.

Frog Pond Gardens - Tat Soi Greens grown from seed

•  Reduce heat-trapping methane emissions from landfills by making compost at home or as part of a city-wide program.
•  Use compost in the garden to replace energy-intensive fertilizers and store carbon in the soil.

Make my lawn “greener.”

•  If you have a lawn, leave grass clippings to fertilize the soil, reducing the need for added fertilizer and increasing carbon storage.
•  Minimize watering, which has been linked to increased emissions of heat-trapping nitrous oxide from lawns.

Point the way to climate-friendly farms.

•  Tell Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support farmers who adopt climate-friendly agricultural practices such as cover cropping and crop rotation and who reduce their use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. 
•  Stay tuned for alerts from UCS on opportunities to take action!