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Weed Control When Your Garden is Full of Weeds [5 Best Steps]

5 best steps for weed control when your garden is full of weeds. Gardening is hard work, so help yourself take back control, it’s not too late. Find more gardening tips here.


Finally. The last seed was safely covered in moist dark soil. It made all the work seem worth it, even with the help of two toddlers…who…well…made it a tiny bit…ack! Who’s to be kidding?? A HUGE bit harder.

But then there were swimming lessons to rush to and the warm weather made life just…BUSY.

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And back in the garden two weeks later…ah…there’s a corn and a bean…way under there. Under the canopy of thistle, lamb’s quarter, a vine of some sort, and the borage, which, truly, has gotten out of hand. And what in the world is that new weed??

Oh! What a mess! How could it have possibly gotten so out of hand?

5 best steps for weed control when your garden is full of weeds. Gardening is hard work, so help yourself take back control, it's not too late.

You can watch the video with this information on this page or read the information below.

If you like this information, my YouTube channel is full of even more garden information. Please click this link: Delci | A Life of Heritage and subscribe! You can also click this link to watch this information on YouTube: Weed Control Video on YouTube

Who has time to spend every evening from eight to ten weeding a garden only to turn around and have it taken over again almost immediately?

No one.

A garden needs to produce as much food as possible with the least amount of work. Is gardening hard work? Oh yes! But with a few weed control management techniques, it can be almost set on automation…the weed control at least. Because once it starts producing, a whole new set of work commences, now doesn’t it? Harvesting, canning, storing….eating…

The first thing that needs to take place is a complete mind switch about weeds.

They are valuable and many of them are very edible and even quite nutritious. They have saved our land from east to west coast in the years of drought and when the wind assails.

It would be well worth the time to read this article: Why Does My Garden Have Weeds? Here’s Why and How to Fix It.  The answer may be surprising.

Of course, many people are avid weed lovers. Dandelions are great in salads, soaps, and for the bees, they are absolutely a necessity. And many people use thistle and burdock roots, and nettle makes a nutritious tea. The uses for weeds is endless, but in the garden, they don’t need to take over.

Without weed control, weeds will starve vegetables for sunlight and will take the water and nutrients needed elsewhere for their own use.

After the treacherous weeds have staked a claim in the garden, what can be done?

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First off, there are a few things that need to be done and understood BEFORE the gardening year begins to help with weed control from the start.

Implement the no-till gardening method.

This is a key factor in weed control. Tilling stirs up the soil and brings to the surface weed seeds buried deep down. There are many other detriments to tilling as well, so take a moment and read the article provided above before leaving.

Companion plant.

When planting, make the most of companion planting and keep the spacing between plants as close as possible. The green tint and shade from the leaves tell weeds seeds, “don’t germinate, this space is taken.”

Utilize cover crops.

This technique has many benefits as well, including weed suppression.

Water properly.

Know when to water and if possible, don’t water the weeds. This can be accomplished by using drip tape or a soaker hose.

MULCH!

And finally, mulch until mulch can’t be mulched another inch! Read more below.

That all seems fairly easy, right? It will be such a relief when the weeds are under control and it’s not a battle for all vegetables to survive.

Here are 5 best steps to take for weed control when the garden is full of weeds:

Despair.

Just a little bit. I understand. It’s overwhelming. Sit down, lay your head on your knees, and take a deep breath. You can do this.

Gather mulch, find a pair of scissors, and put on the garden gloves.

The mulch is the key ingredient to all weed problems! There are a handful of different choices to choose from, so do the research and stock up on the available mulch in the area or what suits the soil best. Read more about mulching choices here. And don’t put on the gloves if a dirt manicure under the fingernails isn’t a big deal. 😉

Carefully weed around the vegetables.

Finding and locating the rows and individual vegetables will make it easier when the mulch is laid down. And it is always easier to pull weeds when they are at their smallest, so hopefully, that’s the case, but if not…

Use the scissors.

The scissors or pruning loppers can be used for the weeds that have really taken off and are quite large. The weeds can be pulled but leaving the roots in the ground adds organic material to the soil and will help break up compacted soil. But also, it’s best to cut off the tops before they go to seed and spread even more. When deciding to pull or cut off a weed, make the decision for what’s best in the current situation.

Mulch.

And truly, don’t be stingy. The ground we stand on is modest and deeply desires for its topsoil to be covered. This will be the key to a weed-free gardening year. Watch a detailed mulching video here.

weed control

The benefits of mulching are something that really shouldn’t be missed. It keeps the soil cool in the heat of summer. Underneath, the ground will stay moist from the protection of the hot sun and dry wind. And for the sake of the concerns right now, it will keep those pesky weeds under control.

And it’s never too late to take back control.

Read more about this subject here:

Effective Control

Lawn Weeds

 

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Gary

Monday 28th of February 2022

Great article! I'm a big fan of organic gardening, and I was glad to see you mention the no-till method as a key factor in weed control.

I've been using the no-till method for a few years now with great success. Have you tried it? If not, I highly recommend giving it a go. It's worked really well for me and my garden is practically weed-free.

Thanks again for all the great content you're putting out there. Keep it up!

Sincerely, Tree Removal Abbotsford

Edward_HighsteetHedge

Tuesday 15th of June 2021

Hello, I just want to thank you for the best tips on how to weed control when your garden is full of weeds.

By the way, your video is very interesting, there's a lot of things to learn from it. Good job guys!

Timothy

Saturday 5th of October 2019

The first time I started a garden I planted seed direct in the ground and ended up picking vegetables and weeds. But it looked nice! Now I plant in 1 once paper cups then transfere to garden it will never happens again. Paper being biodegradable I just help it along by cutting out the bottom and plant the cup.

LilacNSpring

Thursday 29th of June 2017

I'm concerned about mulching next to home foundation due to it harvesting scorpions, spiders and snakes. Any advice, pro or con?

Delci Plouffe

Thursday 29th of June 2017

I'm certainly glad we don't have poisonous snakes or scorpions around our area! I do think that there is a possibility for harboring insects, bugs, and snakes. I don't mind seeing the garter snakes in my garden. I've seen several this year. It keeps the mice away! They took a serious bite out of my garden one year! There may be a better mulch for your area to choose that wouldn't allow the harboring to happen. Have you read this article? It may give you some ideas: http://www.alifeofheritage.com/farm-living/mulching-importance/

Julie

Sunday 25th of June 2017

I am definitely going to mulch, and I will get back with results. Thanks

Delci Plouffe

Monday 26th of June 2017

Yes! Please do let me know how it goes and helps! :)