[cat666]

My partner and I rent a property with a nice big garden and were looking forward to growing vegatables and keeping the garden looking nice. Sadly our landlord decided in February that the "long term lease" he was looking for in August really meant 1 year and we need to be out in August. Obviously this happened at the time of year that we should have been starting to tend to the garden but instead our focus has been on finding a new place. The weather also hasn't helped, a freak sunny March and a wet April has meant the weeds have thrived.

The issue is sorting them out is a lot of work. We have 2 large beds at the front, lots of paving/gravel patches with weeds in plus an allotment patch, 2 raised beds and another big bed at the rear. Neither of us have much enthusiasm to weed it, especially as all the work will give us no gain, as we will not be able to plant flowers or vegatables. It feels like we are paying our landlord to do his gardening for him!

I have no issue with weed killer on the gravel bits, but the hard part is the beds. We don't really want to kill all plant life in the beds with weed killer, but hand weeding it all will take the 2 of us hours, plus we'd have to do it all over again before we leave. The beds don't appear to have much in them anyway, daffodils only.

Is there an easier way to go about it? The cheaper the better. I hear salt water works, but I'm worried it will do more harm than good. I highly doubt the landlord will do much planting (he is disabled) so is it worth just nuking it all, getting the deposit back and leaving it has his issue that he can't plant anything?

[Oldnjaded]

Originally Posted by cat666

My partner and I rent a property with a nice big garden and were looking forward to growing vegatables and keeping the garden looking nice. Sadly our landlord decided in February that the "long term lease" he was looking for in August really meant 1 year and we need to be out in August. Obviously this happened at the time of year that we should have been starting to tend to the garden but instead our focus has been on finding a new place. The weather also hasn't helped, a freak sunny March and a wet April has meant the weeds have thrived.

The issue is sorting them out is a lot of work. We have 2 large beds at the front, lots of paving/gravel patches with weeds in plus an allotment patch, 2 raised beds and another big bed at the rear. Neither of us have much enthusiasm to weed it, especially as all the work will give us no gain, as we will not be able to plant flowers or vegatables. It feels like we are paying our landlord to do his gardening for him!

I have no issue with weed killer on the gravel bits, but the hard part is the beds. We don't really want to kill all plant life in the beds with weed killer, but hand weeding it all will take the 2 of us hours, plus we'd have to do it all over again before we leave. The beds don't appear to have much in them anyway, daffodils only.

Is there an easier way to go about it? The cheaper the better. I hear salt water works, but I'm worried it will do more harm than good. I highly doubt the landlord will do much planting (he is disabled) so is it worth just nuking it all, getting the deposit back and leaving it has his issue that he can't plant anything?

Why would you want to do anything at all to it, if the landlord is kicking you out in August? Does your contract with him state 1 year lease?

[bmillam]

use a hoe. now and again.

[Maxatoria]

just use some pathclear type of 5 year killer and job done so you wont need to bother again until leaving the property and what happens after that who cares

[stud u like]

I have a wonderful tool that gets weeds up by the roots superspeedily. It is called a prong hoe.

[shirlt9]

Weedkiller on the paths and weeding by hand doesnt take long..just get yourselves a tub each and start at opposite ends,..you will soon have it done..on a nice day its a nice relaxing,peaceful job..

[cnbcwatcher]

Get some Resolva and resolva your weed problem

[mandelifeboats]

Plenty of veg you could put in now that will crop before August.

Peas, french beans, radish, quick growing carrots, lettuce, beetroot, spring onions for starters.

It's worth having a go.