A Ten-Step Plan for Weed Control
- Mulch, mulch,
mulch! A thick layer of mulch will deprive weed seedlings of light.
If you lay several sheets of newspapers down first, you can apply
a thinner layer of mulch on top. (Remember the caution, however, of
waiting until soil has warmed up before applying mulch.)
- Mulch! (Just
in case you didn't hear the first time....)
- Start weed control
early in the season, and don't let any weeds set flowers and go to
seed.
- Protect unplanted
beds by covering them with straw or even tarps, so the weeds don't
get the upper hand before you've even planted.
- Grow a weed-smothering
cover crop such as buckwheat in areas of the garden you don't plan
to use this season. Don't let it go to seed, however, or you'll have
a new weed to contend with!
- Grow a winter
cover crop. The crop will protect the soil in early spring, when it's
still too wet to work. Cover crops such as winter rye (not the same
thing as ryegrass!) are planted in fall. They'll grow until the cold
weather hits. The crop is then tilled under in the spring, which adds
valuable organic matter to the soil.
- Interplant ground-hugging,
weed-smothering crops like pumpkins with tall, non-shading, weed-susceptible
crops like corn.
- If you are creating
a new garden, remove the sod before tilling. But don't discard it!
It is a valuable resource. Instead, pile it in an out-of-the-way place.
By the end of the summer the sod will have composted, yielding rich
topsoil.
- Don't overtill.
Tilling or otherwise cultivating the soil brings weed seeds to the
surface where they can germinate. Also, it chops up the roots of perennial
weeds like dandelions into pieces, each of which can sprout. If you
must cultivate, do so to a depth of only an inch or two.
- Try to weed
a little bit every day. That way, you won't have to face every gardener's
nightmare -- the overwhelming task of weeding the entire garden. Weed
when the soil is moist, so it's easier to pull out the plants, roots
and all.
Class
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Copyright 2002,
National Gardening Association. All Rights Reserved.
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Children can
teach us a lot about tolerance. While parents are out in the lawn,
feverishly weeding out dandelions, children are making dandelion
necklaces and marveling as they watch the fluffy seeds float away
when they blow on them.
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Most
people consider lambsquarters a weed, but others enjoy it as a
savory, nutritious green to add to soups and quiche.
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Thistles
are a particularly difficult weed to control. They have far-ranging
root systems, and new plants can sprout from root fragments. If
you continue to pull new plants as they emerge, however, you will
eventually deplete the food reserves in the roots.
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