WEED CONTROL
- Mulch: Mulch is a covering that blocks daylight and inhibits growth under it. Cover the soil between your plants and along rows. Keep mulch from the base of your plants to discourage insect invasions. For mulch, use materials like wheat straw, shredded leaves, or other organic matter. Layer it on the ground about 2 inches thick. For persistent or numerous weeds, try covering the area with dampened newspaper (black ink only) and then cover with 2 inches of mulch. Around the bases of trees and shrubs, consider covering the ground with landscape fabric and then mulch.
2. Cover Crop: In some situations, you can use a cover crop to block weeds.
3. Pull them out: You need manually pull or dig out most weeds getting the root out as well. Weeds will slide out of the soil easier when the soil is wet. I always do a little after a nice rain or when weeds are young.
4. Don’t let them reseed in the garden and multiply if you don’t want more of them.
5. Trim: Keep the edges of your garden mowed to help prevent a weed invasion.
6. Plant Close: If the soil is rich and well tilled, plant your plants closer together. This will cut down weed growth. Start your warm weather plants as soon as you can, to keep the soil from being bare for too long.
7. Rid Garden Weeds Early: Encourage weeds to grow before you plant your garden. Lay clear plastic over your garden in early spring to warm the soil and encourage weeds to germinate. Once the weeds are several inches above the soil, pull or hoe them out and plant your crops.
8. Use Drip Irrigation: Irrigate only the plants that need it to avoid the cultivation of weeds where they are not welcome.
9. Eat Your Weeds! Some weeds like lamb’s quarters, amaranth, purslane and others—are edible when young and tender. 10. White Vinegar will kill weeds that have grown in areas in between walks, in the curbside of the street and in areas you want to rid them. It works for me! I just pour a little straight from the bottle on the villain. Soon they are dead and dried and you can brush them away. 11. Covering a garden area with cardboard after harvest is an easy way to keep weeds out till you are ready to plant again, or you want to kill weeds or grass to start a new bed.
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