Gardening Methods

Best way to deal w/ devil’s grass/crab grass, without too much chemicals?

Does anyone have any ideas on how to best deal with out of control devil’s grass/crab grass, WITHOUT using too much toxic chemicals, and without destroying some really good soil? I am trying to avoid using Roundup, but I’m losing my resolve since these weeds keep coming back. Any ideas on organic alternatives or natural ways to deal with it, or do I have to bite the bullet and go chemical? The soil is really good, 50+ years of leaves adding to the mulch, and I don’t want to kill all those nice microorganisms and decaying matter. I have dug down 8-10 inches and removed all the root I could get, very very thoroughly. Someone suggested I use plastic “WeedBlock” sheeting and put real dirt on top. But what if weeds grow in that real dirt, they put down roots to or through the plastic, and I have to use gardening tools to get them out? Seems hard to prevent tears. Any input and ideas are appreciated!

“Corn gluten meal can be applied as a pre-emergent weed killer. It has been shown to inhibit the growth of dandelions, crabgrass and many other annual weeds.”

“Corn Gluten for Organic Weed Control
Reader Laurence J. Belosevic mentions corn gluten as an alternative to chemical herbicides, and I thought others might be interested in learning more about this idea for organic weed control. This resource states that “As a weed suppressant, corn gluten acts as a natural ‘pre-emergent’ – it inhibits seed germination by drying out a seed as soon as it cracks open to sprout.”

Happy Yardening!

EarthBox Organic Garden Kit