cleaning up beds??

[diamondlandscaping]

if you guys had a bed to clean out that had tons of weeds, what would be the most efficient way to do so? the bed would be replanted.

[hiringus]

http://www.urimga.org/Graphics/tools_of_the_trade/stirrup%20hoe.jpg

Stirrup Hoe

[White Gardens]

Good call on the stirrup hoe.

But, if the bed has too many weeds, then I would use roundup to burn the bed off, wait no more than two weeks for a good kill. Take a string trimmer to the dead material to chop it up good so it won't wrap around your tiller tines.

Add a pre-emergent to the beds, such as preen, and then till it in to kill off any potential weed seeds.

Once your done with your plantings, add good mulch with preen mixed in, and tell the customer you'll come back every two to three weeks for maintenance..... For a fee of course.

[diamondlandscaping]

whitegardens, what is preen?

[White Gardens]

Preen is the brand name for a granular, pre-emergent herbicide. It sterilizes/kills all existing seeds in the soil. You can usually find it at most garden centers. Comes in a bright yellow jug.

Read the directions, I think you can plant already established (potted) plants right after an application.

[hiringus]

Some stores sell it under the name SnapShot

[hackitdown]

Roundup is the way to go. Remember that anything you spray with roundup will die, not just weeds.