with the root garden done i thought i would start getting it ready for fall but i have lots of weeds/grass.with the round up scare,i would like to do it another way..if i burn it i may activate the seeds....please only suggest something that you have tried and got good results from

Why do you want to sterilize it?

Cover it with clear plastic sheeting.

i cant get the weeds under control

Get a good Glyphosate and spray the garden, it will kill all green leaf plants, grasses, weeds. Once dead, till and wait a couple of weeks and repeat. When you till you invite all kinds of new seeds to germinate.

They actually make a sterilizer but it will last for a year or two so I would not advise that because you would not be able to grow a garden for several months.

For weeds you can cover the entire plot with 80% shade cloth. Cut slits for your plants.

roller... glyphosate is round up.hence i don't want to use because of the latest info about glyphosate causing bad stuff.i just want to do it and not glow in the dark

i sprayed gallons of it in the early 80's and my light isn't 2 bright...i'm 68 and still use it...just don't drink it

Maybe try black plastic ? Old carpet ect anything to smother and block the light?

I've been fighting nutgrass for a couple of years, round-up won't kill it. Really don't like chemicals in the garden. I covered it with plastic sheeting this year, black works best. Looking at Crapyetr's garden convinced me to go with raised beds with heavy landscape fabric underneath for this fall.

thanks for the compliment Hancock...i've gardened wrong for decades...pertnere know how to do it right...still fighting it tho...

Image is a selective herbicide for nutgrass...it works...glyphosate won't "kill" it...just burns it back

https://www.amazon.com/100099405-Concent...&dpSrc=srch

image is ok but nutsedge is hardcore.sedgehammer is what is working the best for our customers yards,it is designed specifically for nutsedge.it's not cheap and still takes 3 or 4 treatments

I moved my garden a few years ago due to nutgrass and now the old area is all bermuda and buffalo grass and zero nutgrass. Go figure.

I till them in and plant. Weeds will grow, but your crop will still do its thing, and the extra ground cover is better for your soil. Having large barren areas will reduce organic matter, water holding, water infiltration, and increase crusting, runoff, erosion. This means more maintenance, fertilizing, watering, etc....just to make it look prettier.

The more biological activity you have continuously going on the better.

I let chickens run loose in my garden between seasons and when I'm ready to plow there is nothing but bare soil with some organic fertilizer.

Many brands of glyphosate. And yes Roundup is the #1 brand marketed and sold. I'm not a big fan of it, but if you buy pure 41% (I think it is) glyphosate and not a lot of binders/carriers you should be fine. If you buy the 41% which isn't cheap, you don't have to make a gallon mix with half leftover to pour into the street and into the water system. Make a small mix in a dixie cup. Put on a pair of rubber/surgical gloves then a pair of cotton. Dip your hand/fingers in the mix, then squeeze your hand over the top of the cup to make sure there are no drips. Then wipe it on the grass/weed you want to kill. Do it kinda like you would grab a cat by it's tail. Start at the base and work your way up. It's an efficient killer without much to worry about. But again that is the pure 41% glyphosate and not the 7% or whatever Roundup is with the other binders in the mix. Roundup is censored.

10-20 vinegar with orange oil is a good alternative.

Ammonium soaps of fatty acids works great for broadleaf's. Not so much for grassy types. It will knock the grassy types back but not kill them in my experience.