I had a gardener's dream....

In the beginning....

was my VERY weedy & grassy garden.  And no rototiller this year..so I needed a new plan.  A plan to keep the weeds away -- a natural plan an earth-friendly plan.  I don't have all the time in the world to weed.  So I began Phase 1 of BAN THE WEEDS!

I started one section at a time.  I used scrap wood pieces I had between the rows to help keep the weeds away.  But Alas...this was what I did last year...The weeds still had too much territory to grow through.  (And I did not have enough wood scraps to cover between all the rows.  I needed something better!  (Spinach & Sugar Snap Peas pictured above.)

Radishes & Sugar Snap Peas above. 

So came Phase 2 of BAN THE WEEDS!

So I brought out the newspaper.  Newspaper is great for the soil--and shouldn't it also prevent weeds from growing?  I began by fully burying the newspaper, but quickly discovered the weeds just grew over the paper.  That was when I just laid the newspaper down and then put a little dirt on top (enough to hold it down.)  While this looked tacky, it actually has worked pretty well.  When I see weeds starting to poke through, I simply put another layer of newspaper down.  Not to mention I now have entertainment while gardening--comics anyone?  (Pepper plants poking through the newspaper holes.)

So every year I take from the soil, so it is just as important to put stuff back into the soil.  I call this poor man's composting.  I use old food containers in the house to collect my compost and then I just bury it in between the rows of my plants (and of course put newspaper over it!) 

And then the ultimate tragedy happened--not for me--but to a friend.  My neighbor's water heater burst open flooding her basement.  All of her carpet was RUINED.  I loaned her some fans to dry the area, but the damage was too much.  She sadly ripped up her carpet. 

That is when it hit me.  Hmmmm.....

Yes I did!  I took her carpet and carpeted my garden. 

I cut out holes for my tomato plants and then cut pieces to place between the rows AND I put newspaper underneath.  Okay..seriously..what a great idea!  It retains the moisture.  And it is SO COMFY to sit on and garden.  I LOVE MY CARPETED GARDEN!  And I plan to do this EVERY YEAR (not with the same carpet, but someone else's tossed carpet).  I imagine this carpet will be pretty nasty by fall, but it has been out in my garden for a month now and is holding up REALLY WELL!

Seriously, how cool does this look....Now that I am saving all that time from WEEDING, I will have time to vacuum my garden!  (And yes, I am serious!)  Happy gardening!

(I dedicate this blog entry to all of my gardening friends, may the fruit of your labor be bountiful this season. I also cannot forget my friend Jillene--without her, my garden would have been hopeless this year.)