Hairy vetch should be killed when the first flowers form and definitely before seed in the flowers form. When flowers are seen on the vetch vegetative growth is hastened and it is time to kill the vetch. With strip-till planting, traditional seeders can be used since a seed bed strip is first tilled in the row. The benefits of strip-tillage systems are to prevent erosion in the row middles and avoiding disturbance of the soil between the rows that could bring weed seed to the surface to germinate, while still creating a tilled seed bed strip. The more crop residue left on the soil surface, the more barrier provided for smothering of germinating weeds on the soil surface.
Weed control is a major problem with producing vegetable crops with no-till systems.
Seeding must be done into a weed-free field. Preplant or preemergence herbicides can be used and irrigated in, but may not be as successful in a no-till field covered with previous crop residues. There are very few herbicides labeled post-emergence for vegetable crops. The use of spray shields during times with no wind can assist in successfully applying Gramoxone in the row middles. To control annual grasses and certain perennial grasses, Sethoxydim, can be applied at labeled rates postemergence without harming the cucurbit crop.