Along with cultivating an organic garden often comes the patient practice of weed-picking. It can sometimes feel like a tedious as well as an endless job. When it comes to removing the unwanted plants in your garden, the smarter and not harder method is always the best route to take. Weeding a little bit everyday goes a long way. Fellow gardeners, do not despair. Here are 9 wonderful tips for making your weeding easier.
#1: Start Picking Weeds Early
The sooner you start pulling weeds the better. Start picking weeds when they are smaller in order to prevent them from growing a bigger root system later on, which will make them hard to pull in the future. If you want to beat the heat, it’s a good idea to start your day early to avoid being out in the hot sun all day.
#2: Form A Weeding Party
This idea was inspired by a friend of mine who invited a few gardeners over for some tea, breakfast scones, and weeding. It was actually really fun! So, the next time you have too many weeds to handle, why not try having a weeding party? Provide your gardener friends with a few snacks or beverages, and tell them to bring their garden hats and weeding tools. Whoo hoo!
#3: Prevent Weeds From Growing
A smart way to avoid weeding in the first place is to prevent them before they grow. Mulching is a great way to smother and prevent weeds from growing. You can naturally create your own mulch by using organic material such as woodchips, compost, straw, or leaves. I recommend staying away from herbicides to prevent weeds, as most of them are filled with harsh, toxic chemicals, and only work temporarily.
#4: Weed When It’s Wet
The best time to weed is when the soil is wet because it is easier to pull the weeds out of the soil without breaking them off at the root. The soil is often softer when it is moist, which allows the whole weed and its root system to come out easier with just one pull. Digging the weed up is also less of a hassle when the soil is moist.
#5: Cover Those Weeds
Weeds, like most plants, cannot live without sunlight, so covering them is another easy method to get rid of weeds. Although it takes some time, it is very effective. You can smother them naturally by covering them up with such things as burlap sacks, large cardboard box pieces, drapes, and wet newspapers.
#6: Use A Weeding Hoe
From personal experience, I can say a weeding hoe has been one of the best companions to have for making weeding easier. It is quick and simple to use, and I think it’s also kind of fun. Weeding hoes are usually triangle-shaped with sharp edges and points for cutting or digging up undesired plants.
#7: Take Up Weed Space
Ensure that weeds never have space to thrive by filling up your garden with plants you desire. Planting cover crops, such as certain legumes and grasses, is another way to take up room so weeds cannot grow. If you don’t provide an area for weeds to grow, they won’t grow.
#8: Harvest Them
One person’s weed is another person’s food. Believe it or not, a lot of plants that we call weeds are actually just as beneficial as the herbs, veggies, and fruits we grow in our gardens. In that case, why not harvest and use them! Here is a list of some common weeds that are considered edible:
- burdock
- chickweed
- dandelions
- garlic grass
- lamb’s quarters
- red clover
- sorrel
#9: Turn Weeding Into Visual Meditation
One of my favorite things to do when I weed is visualize the garden being my life, and the weeds being all the obstacles and negative factors that try to stop me from growing. Whenever I pick the weeds, I image that I am taking out the things in my life that keep me from reaching my full potential. Weeding can be such a great way to do visual meditation.
