There’s nothing more frustrating that taking time and money to create a beautiful garden only to have it taken over by weeds. Here are a few effective ways to get rid of and prevent weeds without using harmful chemicals.
Mulching
After planting your garden, cover the soil with an extra layer of organic matter such as compost, bark, wood chips, straw, etc. This can smother existing weeds and prevent others from sprouting.
Dig ‘em Up
You can use a hoe or shovel to remove all weeds. However, this method requires constant attention. If you don’t put in the time, the weeds will come back and need to be dug up again. On the bright side, constant hand-weeding will prevent the weeds from reproducing.
Cram Packed Plants
Weeds can’t grow if there’s no room for them to do so. Planting dense ground covers and perennials will make it harder for weeds to grow underneath.
Bake ‘em
If you have a large area of weeds in an area that don’t have a lot of plants, you can cover the impacted area with heavy plastic sheeting. This works best in an area that gets full sun. Cover the area with plastic and let it sit for 4-6 weeks. When the area underneath is brown, you’re ready to move forward with planting your goodies.
Vodka, Man!
Mix 1 oz vodka, 2 cups water, and a couple drops of dish soap for an excellent natural weed killer. Spray the mixture on weeds that have good sun exposure. Keep in mind, this doesn’t work too well for weeds in shady areas.
Fire
Flame weeding is a the process of passing a flame briefly over an area to kill the weeds. A flame weeder is usually a wand connected to a propane tank. Please not this method only kills the weed plant on the surface and not the roots so you would have to do this on a regular basis. As with any fire-related activity, please take safety precautions.
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