Enemies of My Garden

 No, this is not lush green pasture. This is what half of my garden looks like. I lost control last year when we had the grand kids living with us. After clearing it enough to plant, I'll be fighting it all summer and next to get it somewhat tamed back. And to think it was once a minor problem.  Most weeds don't give me much problem but this grass has roots at least two feet deep and the tiniest sliver of a root left springs once more into a blade of grass. If you've a great way of taming it in an organic garden, please, please advice me.

 And as for wind, it is blowing and blowing and blowing. Not that the wind doesn't usually blow but it is worse this year.

Couple that with my plants being a bit spindly like this tomato plant and you've a disaster in the makingt. This one of my spindly tomato plants. I couldn't keep the stove going in the basement where they were under grow lights because of all the rain and the wood being so wet. No, we don't keep wood under shelter because we don't usually have that much moisture.

And yes, this plant that is awaiting transplanting into the garden is laying on its side. There is a really good reason for this.

 Here it is. See this poor thing, I transplanted it and then the grand daughters awoke from a nap and needed attention and then it was time to pick up the oldest from school and then and then. Well, a couple hours after transplanting it, it looked like this. Forty mile an hour gusts will do this. Gr...

Normally, the transplants are placed in a cow panel built frame and old plastic, that was once on top the hay, cut to fit around the frame. Waste not want not you know. And by this method the tomatoes survive the wind until they are well rooted and hardened off. Luckily, I had lots more spindly tomatoes in the basement because I lost three.

With this wind problem in mind, I went to Home Depot yesterday and asked about snow fence. Mind you it is June and you can imagine the look they gave me. Of course I was going after window screen for the bees too. I'll use it over the entrances when we move them to the country. I'm eeccentric, what can I say. They didn't have any so I'll look this weekend as I visit my daughter in Colorado and probably get the same look, the one I'm very familiar with. But if I don't find any, I'll order some online. I'm hoping for green or black plastic, not bright orange, or else it will scream danger and look like I'm partitioning off a deep hole  like the city does after they've dug. LOL

I know I know Campbell County residents, it isn't as if the wind hasn't always blown here but I've done some reading on the benefits of blocking it off your garden and I'm determine to see what I can do this year. oonward and upward you know. 

I'm hoping by placing the snow fence around the north and south side of the garden it will block some wind but still allow a good draft through because no wind means a environment that many mold type diseases flourish in. I just don't like seeing my plants whipped back and forth fearing they'll snap off. My nerves are getting a bit frayed watching. My broccoli plants has lost a few branches but don't look too bad. They'd do better with a little help though since they wouldn't spend so much of their energy trying heal from the effects of whip lash. The rest of the garden is just starting to come up. The rest that is planted anyway. I'm a bit behind in my gardening due to the crop of grass I'm growing in it and fighting my way through.

I'd love ideas, what have you used against these two enemies of the garden, wind and grass? No, alas, I can't put goats on it to eat the grass.