Prevention is key when starting or revitalizing an overrun garden; just a small effort now could save hours later when dealing with weeds.
Weeds begin as tiny seeds or grass-lings and are easiest to manage at this early stage. Limiting sunlight exposure by covering unplanted vegetable beds with sheets of cardboard weighted down with bricks may also prove effective in managing them.
Weeding
A weed is any plant growing out of place and competing with your garden plants for water, space and nutrients. Weeds also serve as shelter for disease and pests while blocking sunlight that would benefit vegetables’ growth. To effectively control weeds in your vegetable garden requires preventative maintenance – instead of spraying chemical weed killers which could harm both beneficial insects and your own vegetables, opt for organic methods instead which are better for soil health as well.
Weeds can be an insurmountable challenge in vegetable gardens, particularly annual ones which germinate quickly and are pervasive. Once established, annual weeds quickly compete for water, nutrients and space with your seedlings for water, nutrition and space – often overwhelming them entirely! There are various techniques available to keep weeds under control such as manual control, cultivation or mulching but the most successful approach involves employing these strategies in conjunction with thorough initial site preparation to achieve success.
Ideal, you should weed your vegetable garden BEFORE the annual weeds go to seed. Many of these aggressive, seed-producing plants compete to reproduce quickly so they can continue seeding themselves year after year; by pulling them out before they germinate, only one seed deposit will remain and not create an overwhelming population of annual weeds the following season.
Once your weeds are under control, taking regular trips through your garden will keep them in check and prevent them from overtaking your veggies. Weeding efficiently is often considered an acquired skill; pulling by roots rather than just snapping stems will be more effective at eliminating them quickly and completely; using hand tools such as claw weeders will increase the odds that all their roots are addressed.
Mulching can be an effective weed-control strategy for garden beds’ sides, particularly at keeping weeds at bay by restricting sunlight access for growth. Mulch can also moderate soil temperature, conserve water usage and enrich soil structure beneath. You can choose any material for mulching; newspaper and straw are particularly popular choices that offer value and affordability.
Herbicides
Weeds are plants that compete with vegetables for space and resources, creating an ongoing struggle that demands constant vigilance to eliminate. One effective strategy to reduce weeds is preventing their germinating in the first place – this can be accomplished with proper soil management or by employing various gardening tools available to gardeners.
Preventing weeds starts before they even appear in your garden by employing crop rotation and hoeing regularly to eliminate bare soil which provides an invitation for them. Also important is learning the lifecycles and habits of problem weeds so you can catch them before they go to seed.
Weed seeds can spread by wind, birds and the decomposition of last year’s crops into new soil. Once flowering weeds produce thousands of seeds that ensure their return the following year; therefore it is critical that weeds be eradicated early.
There are various natural, “organic,” methods of controlling weeds without resorting to chemical treatments. Mulching with 2 or 3 inches will suppress their growth while keeping sunlight at bay from reaching them; another effective strategy is light cultivation following heavy rainstorms; this helps keep roots below soil surface for easier pulling or digging out later on. Finally, gardening in shaded or cloudy weather allows you to avoid direct sunlight that can burn skin and eyes directly.
If you decide to use chemical herbicides in the vegetable garden, be sure to strictly abide by all instructions and precautions listed on their labels. This will reduce your chances of accidentally spraying your crop with an herbicide meant for another plant type. Natural, fatty acid type herbicides registered for vegetable gardens won’t harm them as easily – although caution must still be observed.
If you prefer non-chemical solutions, try creating your own homemade mixture consisting of two-thirds natural, non-toxic ingredients and one third dishwashing liquid or vinegar. The dishwashing liquid helps the spray adhere more tightly to weeds, killing them faster than just water alone would do.
Mulching
Mulch is an indispensable asset to gardeners. It helps control weed growth while protecting soil moisture levels from drying out too quickly, not to mention adding organic matter back into your soil. Experienced gardeners usually find one type of mulch works well through trial-and-error over time, although there are many types available on the market.
Organic mulch made of leaves or plant material or synthetic mulch designed to keep out weeds and retain water are both viable options, but spreading a few inches thick over a bare garden bed with either type will reduce maintenance tasks while keeping plants healthy and productive. A thick layer of mulch will prevent new seeds from germinating into weeds while simultaneously helping smother existing ones.
Organic material makes an ideal mulch, and most varieties can be easily found at hardware stores. Shredded leaves are especially popular among gardeners since they are free and easy to incorporate into the beds each spring without disturbing soil worms. Straw and salt hay also serve well, being easily raked up when planting new crops or to use in vegetable gardens as mulches.
Compost is the go-to choice when it comes to mulching. Not only can it enhance soil nutrition, it can help speed up vegetable growth. To maximize its potential, create layers in which each sheet overlaps at least a foot (30cm) with another. Weight each sheet down with bricks or stones so it doesn’t fly away!
Some gardeners with long-term vegetable gardens prefer covering an entire area with tarpaulin or plastic and then covering it with several inches of organic mulch, such as compost. This method helps deter weeds by blocking light; pre-weeding areas is advised before applying this tactic. Combined with stale seedbed planting – wherein gardens are lightly cultivated two to four weeks prior to planting to force any hidden seeds out and be killed through hoeing, light cultivation or post-emergent herbicide application – this method works wonderfully.
Raking
When using a rake in the vegetable garden, it is best to run it horizontally rather than vertically across the surface compost. This will dislodge many weed seedlings that would normally require hand pulling out and makes clearing your garden simpler. Also, this allows more compost to break down quicker so more available for sowing or transplanting later on.
If you need to clear away an expansive area of invaders quickly and effectively, try using a weed torch (also referred to as a flame gun). A propane tank attaches directly to the torch which emits a stream of fire that scorches and kills any unresponsive weeds – one of the most efficient ways of eliminating large areas. Just be sure that any local regulations restrict its use for controlling weeds before proceeding!
Preventing weeds from growing is by far the best approach to combating them in your garden. Applying a pre-emergent granular weed killer such as Preen’s Vegetable Garden Natural Weed Preventer to the soil early each spring can effectively stop most seeds from germinating into new growth.
Mulching can also help keep weeds at bay by blocking out sunlight, making it harder for them to flourish and helping promote the growth of beneficial organisms that keep weeds at bay. Mulch can also improve soil health while supporting beneficial organisms that will bolster defenses against future outbreaks of weeds.
Pull small weeds as soon as they appear so they don’t go to seed and create more work in the long run. Although this requires additional time and work, this approach could save time overall.
Avoid disturbing the soil as little as possible in your garden – turning over earth by tilling or digging exposes dormant weed seeds, increasing their likelihood of germinating and sprouting. Instead, try no dig gardening methods such as using a horikori-hori or shovel to loosen and loosen soil before allowing it to settle back in place, so microorganisms in the ground can continue their work at improving its quality.