DEFENSE AGAINST UNDER-FENCE JUNGLE

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Are you hassled by uninvited plants intruding on your growing space? Here's a proven method for conquering those armies of ragged weeds that are making camp at the borders of your garden.

My first workable "border" solution was a 2 x 10 plank, painted with wood preservative.

Later, I built a form and lined the trench with small stones before pouring concrete.

Now I can trim the edge without battling weeds!

If you've ever fumed about the knotty (and inaccessible) tangles of grass, briars, vines, and weeds that tend to develop under fences, I'd like to share the fruits of my experience with you.

For years, I tugged and chopped and cursed at the mess growing beneath the barrier surrounding my vegetable plot . . . with little success to show for my pains. Once, in desperation, I even tried a chemical weedkiller, but it drifted onto the garden and shriveled my prized vegetables! I also laid down paper edging . . . but some of it blew away and the rest rotted in the first rain. Even plastic mulch was unable to stem the tide of weeds and vines . . . while old carpeting strips eventually fell apart.

Finally, fed up with that junior jungle at the edge of my garden space, I decided to get tough with the tenacious weeds. First, I seized a grub hoe and hacked out a 10-foot-long section between two fenceposts, down to a depth of about 2 inches. Then I cut a 2 X 10 plank, painted it with wood preservative, and slid it into place over the cleared ground. My intention was to cultivate right up to the plank's inner edge in the garden, and run a rotary mower along the outside ... to give the plot a neat appearance.

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