Weeding is probably the least fun part of gardening. Aching backs and tired muscles are just part of the gardening process right? It doesn't really have to be that way, you can work smarter instead of harder and keep your vegetable garden weed free.
Start Early
This year I tilled a new garden. I knew going in that new gardens tend to have the most weeds because they haven't been prepared year over year, so I started early. In March I tilled the garden up and waited.
Sure enough, weeds of every variety started growing in my unplanted garden. This gave me the opportunity to go in and get a lot of the weeds up by the roots before I ever put a seed in the ground.
I did this one more time before I started planting in May to reduce the number of weeds I would spend all summer pulling.
Get to the Root of the Problem
When pulling weeds you need to make sure you get the entire root out of the ground. It seems God has a sense of humor when it comes to gardening. I can see him up there slapping a knee and laughing as he tells his friends, "And then I made the weeds grow better than the vegetables."
At GRIT, we have a tradition of respecting the land that sustains rural America. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing to GRIT through our automatic renewal savings plan. By paying now with a credit card, you save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of GRIT for only $16.95 (USA only).
Michele, great post on how to stay ahead of the weeds. I love the quote that Elliot Coleman always says about weeds. "Cultivate don't weed." I wish I lived by that quote. He claims we should not wait for the weeds to appear but cultivate the soil in the seed sprouting stage before they break the surface. About two to three days after a rain is the best time to cultivate. However, in my case, I have a life outside the garden. When a garden is left unattended for three weeks because of other demands, weeds take advantage and grow twice as fast. Don't you just love that aspect of weeds. As long as they don't go to seed, I bury them right back into the raised bed they grew in. I figure their green richness has to be filled with the nutrition that what I plant needs as they decompose under the plants. I don't have compost piles. I just bury the debris directly in the beds.It requires a little more work that way but sure seems to work for me. ***** May all your weeds be small and easy to pull and all your cultivated plants be strong and healthy. Have a great day in the garden. ***** Nebraska Dave