Want to put a stop to the endless chore of pulling weeds in your vegetable garden calendar week after week this spring , summer and fall ? Well , believe it or not , it is 100 % possible . Even well , it ’s easier than you could ever imagine !
Weeds can twist a gorgeous garden into an eyesore in a few weeks or less . Not only do they create an untidy visual aspect , they also steal valuable nutrients from the grease and forth from your plant . And it seems like every clip you pull the , they do back even firm !
Unfortunately , weeds contend for the same vital resources ( water , nutrients , light and oxygen ) that veg flora need . And when weeds are allowed to take clench and take over , they can move the health of your vegetable plants . Even worse , they give pest and disease an even comfortable path to take hold .
Weeds not only look unsightly, they also steal water and nutrients from your plants.
But here is the good newsworthiness , it ’s not hard to keep dope out . In fact , by plainly following a few low - maintenance tips , you really can have a green goddess loose garden . All without countless hours of work , weeding or frustration . We know this because we have been implementing the three simple scheme below for over 15 years now – and in two unsubdivided word of honor : They run !
How To Stop Pulling Weeds – And Have A Weed Free Garden!
1. Never Allow Your Soil To Be Bare
If there is one basic thing you’re able to do to annihilate almost all of your garden weed woes , it is to cover your dirt . In the spring . In the summertime . And yes , even in the fall and all throughout the wintertime !
Bare soil equals weeds , and a lot of them . It allows blowing and drifting green goddess germ to easily find a home . It also allow any weeds that are present to spread like wildfire . But when you get across the soil , unless a seed or transplant is purposely imbed underneath , all of those skunk seed just sit on top of the grime , unable to burgeon forth .
So what is the honest direction to underwrite the soil ? During the spring , summer and other gloam uprise month , it is with a thick stratum of mulch . And in recent descent , we implant a cover craw of annual rye or oat to keep the soil covered all winter long .
Bare soil can cause all kinds of issues for a vegetable garden – especially when it comes to weeds!
A sonorous layer of mulch suppresses existing green goddess and weed germ already in the soil . In addition , it also helps to insulate your vegetable plants . Even better , it help oneself them to retain valuable wet too . Finally , that thick layer of mulch keeps any unexampled weed come that find a path into your garden from ever germinating . And in the end , it will let you discontinue pulling sens for good !
We use a four to six inch stratum of sliced bark in our walking paths . And in the grow rows where we plant , we use a boneheaded four inch layer of either husk , grass trim , shredded leave – or a combination of all three . See our article : How To develop Your Own Garden Mulch This Year – And avert Costly Straw !
keep the soil covered at all times all but eliminates weeds from ever becoming established and get preserve the place simpleton . In fact , these days , we spend less than 5 to 10 minutes a day in our garden keeping sess under control . And trust me when I say that keeps the “ fun ” in horticulture !
2. Stop Disturbing The Soil – And You’ll Stop Pulling Weeds!
Most of the weeding problem faced by gardeners result from working too much . Yes , you read that correctly . Simply put , the grunge in most gardens is overwork and disturbed way too often . Not only does it create more weeds , it also lead to less than healthy soil .
There are a host of Mary Jane seeds sitting on top of the dirt . All are just hold back for a chance to be “ planted ” below . And every time you till , hoe or dig into the soil , you are literally plant your next crop of dope .
When a garden is tilled in the leap – a immense crop of green goddess ejaculate are planted in the Wake Island of that tilling . The same goes for run a rototiller or hoeing by hand to apprehend out weeds during the growing season . The more you ferment the soil , the more weed seeds you set .
We spend 5 to 10 minutes in our garden every day walking the rows to eliminate small issues quickly. But if you let those issues multiply for days – they can take hours and hours to overcome!
It becomes a never - ending wheel of tilling , hoeing and re - tilling and hoeing . All in an effort to eliminate the fresh sprouted grass planted from the previous tilling or hoeing . Put away the cultivator , hold on hoeing weed – and mulch your garden deep . In the end – it will earmark you to check pulling weeds for an entire garden time of year !
3. A Little Every Day Goes A Long Way!
Last but not least , if you really desire to end the constant barrage of weeds in your garden – visit it regularly ! There is nothing more crucial than pack a consistent approach in keep up your garden .
Just as in life story , if you have things get ahead of you , job will breed cursorily . The same goes for your garden and weeds . If you truly desire a weed - free garden , a consistent approach is a must . Take the prison term to walk through your garden every day for five to ten minutes .
think back that spend 70 minutes once a week in the gardenis notthe same as expend 10 min each and every day . A few modest dope today that can be plunk in seconds can turn into a mass of weed in a workweek .
By just maintain mulch in billet and taking any small weed starts out each daytime , your garden can and will delay hefty and weed free . Here is to making this the year you create the sodding gage free garden – and to being capable to quit pulling grass in your garden for good ! felicitous Gardening – Jim & Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing horticulture , DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm . The two are frequent verbalizer on all things garden and love to travel in their spare time .
