Shop around, but know what you're doing before entering the store. There's a lot to be said about getting the right equipment for the right start. And now that you've got your equipment, you've got to wonder about weed control. That's the next important thing to enter my mind. I hate to see Libby pulling weeds that the tractor or hoe will miss.
Weeds compete with crop plants for moisture, nutrients and light.
Vegetable plants grown under weedy conditions will have reduced yields or they may not survive to produce at all,'' says David W. Sams, professor of plant and soil science at the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service in Knoxville. Their main disadvantage is that they work only on growing weeds and may need to be repeated frequently, Sams emphasizes. Remove weeds while they are small. It is easier, and does less damage to your vegetables. Hoe or till shallowly less than two inches deep to avoid damage to the plants.