There are problems in life we can just breathe through. Weeds are generally not one of them.
You may have the best of intentions and a vision of a gardening oasis dancing in your head. But just like the annoying neighbor in a badly written sitcom, they keep coming back. What to do, besides pulling the weeds out (and maybe your hair in the process?).
We have five tips to get you on the right track:
1. Weed what you see. This seems obvious, but unearthing the deeper roots that have not yet blossomed may not be doing you any favours. In fact, it may be seeding your garden with a whole lot more problem weeds as you turn the soil. Let them sleep soundly shhh don’t wake them!
2. Pull when wet. You may prefer to wait for the perfect sunny day to garden yourself silly, but weeds will be easier to deal with after a good rain. After the sky starts to clear, take out your trowel and kneepads. You will notice that you do not have to fight for victory as much as when the roots are dry and brittle. You can also water the weeds just before pulling for a beat mother-nature trick.
3. Pack your plants tightly. Make sure you plant close together and weeds will be choked out. If you have a large copious space of soil, the weeds will wiggle their way in. Dont blame them. Its their job. Most weeds have the simple requirement of open space in order to thrive. Dont make your flowerbeds an inviting place to set up shop.
4. Do not water and fertilize. Watering broadly means that you are hitting every angle of the soil, including the emptier areas where the weeds are thirstily drinking up your offering. Fertilizing is the same: place it where you want it. Just as you may not want to feed a stray cat unless you want to keep it, weeds will respond well to your loving work. This is one area in gardening where neglect is recommended.
5. Cut and pickle resistant weeds. Trimming off the flowers means that the seeds will not get sprinkled around your yard. You can also drench weeds with good old-fashioned vinegar, which will kill the suckers without leaving toxic residue. Be careful though vinegar will kill any plant that it strikes!
If worse comes to worse, try to befriend a Canadian goose (the animal, not the jacket). They are natural weed grazers. That will stop you from shooing them from your yard!
