Planting a large summer vegetable garden is one of my favorite things about spring and summer! But what comes with a large garden, or any garden, is pesky weeds. Here are some methods I have learned over the years to save your garden from weeds.
Gardening has been a joy to me over the course of 6 years. It is something that I never thought I would enjoy, as I couldn’t even keep a potted plant alive before.
But low and behold, every year I get to waltz out to my big garden and pick fresh produce to cook with and preserve for the coming months.
There is just something special about being able to walk out your back door and pick fresh food. I don’t think there is any greater feeling.
If you missed my post on 2023 Seed Starting: When to Start your Seeds, make sure to check it out. I share how to get started and where I bought all my seeds this year!
Let’s save your garden from weeds!
Unwanted garden weeds are such a nuisance. They always seem to grow out of control, and it is just so hard to stay ahead of them.
First let’s classify what a weed is. A weed is any unwanted plant that you have in your garden. There are some types of weeds that can be seen as a weed or can be seen for medicinal purposes. I’m talking to you dandelions!
But alas there is plenty of unwanted weeds in our garden that you probably want to be gone. Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help with weed control without having to spray with harsh chemicals or weed killers.
Now let’s get one thing straight… I struggle with weeds over growing just like everyone else. I don’t have this gardening gig figured out completely and I learn new things every single year. This will continue through the course of my gardening life, I’m sure of it.
I can bet that all home gardeners alike will agree, that weeds are the worst part of gardening so let’s save your garden from weeds today!
With these 3 organic methods in place it definitely helps tremendously and I am able to enjoy the garden every single year and not get overwhelmed too much!
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Tip 1: Use a no till method.
The first place to start is the gardening method you will use. A no till method basically means exactly as it sounds. You don’t till your beds.
When we first moved here to Missouri, I had the perfect garden area in mind on our property. It was close to the house, already had a fence line to map it out, and wasn’t in the way of anything. But it was pasture.
After lots of consideration on how to get this first year garden in the ground, I decided on the no till method. Some may also know it as the back to eden or lasagna method.
In this method you do not till up the ground at all. This is a simple, yet effective, way to turn large areas into a thriving garden.
In my garden space, I rolled out sheets of biodegradable butcher paper (which is your carbon) wherever I wanted my new garden bed to be. Cardboard works really well for this as well.
I then added a heavy layer of compost on top of my butcher paper. Lastly, I topped it all with a thick layer of mulch.
I let it sit and gave nature the opportunity to do it’s thing. As it sits the cardboard breaks down into the soil and kills off the grass/pasture underneath. In addition to killing the grass/weeds, the cardboard will improve your soils drainage and add organic matter to your soil. Think more nutrients for your soil!
It is best to do this method in the fall so it has all winter to sit and work before you plant in the spring!
In between my beds, in the garden paths, I laid landscape fabric or weed cloth, down and added wood chips on top. This helped to kill the pasture in the paths. It is a good idea to lay some kind of weed barrier in the paths if possible, or you will have to weed eat your paths often as the pasture will continue to grow big!
Now every fall, I add the same layers back onto my beds. At the end of the season, I cut the plants down at their roots and either leave them there (if they aren’t too big) or feed them to my chickens. I then add a layer of cardboard, next compost, and last I use mulch. Mulch is a must to keep weeds at bay.
I never turn the soil over with a tiller in my garden.
The theory behind this method is you are never disrupting the soil, which means you are not turning the weed seeds from beneath up to the surface of the soil. You are constantly adding back to the soil, which gives you healthy thriving beds!
Eventually as the years go by, you get fewer weeds as your layers get thicker. That is as long as you are using mulch that is dead and there are no weed seeds in it!
Some great mulch options are pine needles, lawn clippings, old straw/hay, wood chips, or even sawdust. If using wood chips or sawdust make sure there is no black walnut in it.
This method is one I highly recommend for anyone wanting to save their garden from weeds. It sets your garden up right from the start.
Tip 2: Weed every single day.
Ok, before you all jump through the screen at me on this one, hear me out.
I know it sounds simple (or daunting, I’ll let you be the judge), but getting out into your garden every single day is so important. It is the most effective way to save your garden from weeds, even if it is only for 10-15 minutes a day.
Not only does this help you to stay on top of the weeds, but it also allows you to be able to react right away if fungus, pests, or other unwanted things come up in your garden.
Here is how I do it. Add in garden time to your schedule. For me that is first thing in the morning while I am watering. I am always the most productive in the morning. If I wait until the afternoon, it will get missed. If I find that I have time in the afternoon/evening to get out there, then I will. But as a rule of thumb, I do it in the morning.
I set a timer for 15 minutes.
Start at one bed and weed until the timer goes off. Then I am done.
The next day I will do the same thing but move over to another bed. Once I have hit all the beds in my garden, I start back at the beginning.
If you stay up on it this way, the number of weeds goes down and you are always staying ahead of it. I always focus on weeding around the new plants first and then farther outside the beds and into the paths. I want all my plants to get the most nutrients from the soil and not have to compete with weed growth.
Which means making sure there aren’t weeds around my plants is high priority.
Tip 3: When life happens and the weeds get away from you, use 20% vinegar.
Disclaimer: Use extreme caution with this method. Always do your own research and determine what is best for your family and garden soil. This post contains the opinions, personal research, and uses of the author only.
Ok, I do use this method but only in an emergency situation. I prefer the above 2 first and this method as a last resort.
I have used 20% Green Gobbler Vinegar that I have bought on Amazon as a means to get control of the weeds. It comes as a spray bottle, so it does make it easy to apply.
Although this is considered an organic method to killing weeds, it is still somewhat of a chemical. The 20% potency of vinegar is stronger then the normal 5% household vinegar you get from the store. If not careful you could burn yourself or have major skin irritation. So use caution.
You also need to know that vinegar does not kill the weed roots. It will kill the plant leaves within 24 hours but the weeds will likely come back. Which means this is just a temporary fix and pulling the whole weed, roots and all, is the best option.
In order for it to be effective you will have to spray the vinegar multiple times on the same weed. This could disrupt your soil make up and organic matter. It is just not worth it as a long term plan.
The last thing you need to know is it will kill any plant it comes in contact with. Even your beloved garden plants. So beware on when/how you are spraying. If you have any breeze and the vinegar carries to your plant, it will kill it.
For these reasons, I only use this as a last resort when I just can’t keep up. I will clear the area around my plants by pulling the weeds and spray throughout the paths. I try not to use vinegar in my beds at all and use it strictly in my paths if needed.
Please take caution if you choose to use vinegar in your garden!
When to start weeding your garden.
Getting in your garden every day, even for a short amount of time, is the best way to stay up on all the nuisances that can come with growing your own food. The best time to start this routine is right now!
In the early spring before you have moved anything outside yet, you can begin to save your garden from weeds. Getting in your garden for 10-15 minutes a day, right now will save you head ache down the line.
This is a great way to get a jump start on your weed prevention before the gardening season has even begun. Plus you will be pulling the young weeds, which is easier to get out of the ground before they mature and are harder to pull.
If you live in a very cold climate and snow is still on the ground, then you will have to wait. But if you are like me and the sun is starting to shine every day and your temps are starting to rise, make it a point to get out there.
Get your beds ready because before you know it you’ll be moving those little plants outside and your garden will be in full swing! It takes 21 days to form a habit, why not let that habit for your garden start forming today!
If you are in the stage of needing to separate your little seedlings, but unsure how to do it? Go check out my post and video on how to separate your seedlings and move them to a bigger pot. Happy gardening my friends!
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