I reviewed one query in your database about the following.
There’s a method of suppressing weeds during the fall/spring using newspapers layered over each other. Would it help during the winter, if there’s some snow/rain, as forecasted in west end Toronto this week?
My thought was to layer some part of the garden, and then let it snow/rain on top, since snow is a type of precipitation,to keep the paper down, using the lasagna method. I noticed it is going to rain, as the temperatures rise unseasonably this week, so that might stop any blowing, and I would be shovelling the initial snow on top anyway-rain or not. I also have three 42.5 kg bags of mulch, but the snow I’ve shovelled aside doesn’t look evenly distributed along the strip of garden which is 3 feet by 25. I can do a smaller portion of that strip, if there are resource constraints, or I just don’t feel like doing too much. I have cardboard too, but with the uneven snowed-over strip, it doesn’t seem as easy as using newspapers, if it isn’t windy.
I suspect that whatever weeds are there, are dormant. However, the layers would stay there during the winter, and photosynthesis-seeking weeds would have less to look forward to soon.
Thank you
Thank you for your question about eradicating weeds in the winter. Normally it is recommended to initiate weed suppression in the late winter. The ground needs to be mostly cleared of snow before laying the newspaper. It would be easier to lay down newspaper when rain clears the ground of snow. It is important to use newspaper with only black and white print (no colour photos). It is a good idea to cover the newspaper with mulch because it might not snow quickly enough to stop the newspaper from blowing away. Readers, who are not familiar with the “lasagna method” of weed suppression, can review the following links:
https://everydaygardener.com/the-lasagna-method-get-rid-of-weeds-and-sod-the-easy-way/
https://agreenhand.com/killing-weeds-in-winter/