You can easily save time managing weeds in your organic garden. Check out these three best tips and a few of our favorite tools and you’ll be ready to show those plants who’s boss!
When I first wrote this post, I had recently seen several brand new gardens that were completely consumed by weeds. It is easy for a garden to end up that way but don’t give up on your garden just yet!
Remember how you carefully chose your plants from the nursery? It was so fun to gently plant your seeds in your brand new patch of soil, wasn’t it? Remember how you blissfully watched and waited for your first sprouts to emerge? It was all so exciting!
And then they showed up.
You pulled them all out right away, but then they just kept coming. Weeds are always going to be there just beneath the surface… lurking… waiting… ready to pop up and mock you…
But I’m here to tell you that there is HOPE. I’m here to help you get ahead of them before they grow out of control.
Spend Time to Save Time Managing Weeds
Spend time to save time… say what?
First, since your garden is most likely organized into rows (or zones.) Choose an area to focus on each day. You could schedule it something like this:
- Monday: between the rows of peas
- Tuesday: the area around the tomatoes
- Wednesday: along the west edge of the fence
- Thursday: the first row of green beans
- Friday: around the cucumbers
Little by little, spending 10 minutes per day, you’ll be more likely to keep your garden well-maintained and weed-free.
Take Care of the Soil from the Get-Go
Cover your garden soil between plants with a thick layer of organic materials. Organic materials will eventually break down into the soil. Untreated grass clippings, dye-free mulch, wood chips, fall leaves, or organic straw are all great choices. If those aren’t available to you, removable materials like cardboard or breathable landscaping fabric are great options, too. All of these things will make it harder for the weed seeds to gain a foothold in the garden.
Use the Right Weed Management Tools
The following are my all-time favorite tools for weed management. They’re easy to store, long-lasting, lightweight, and always nearby when I’m working in the gardens.
- Grampa’s Weeder: for thick, wide based weeds
- Hand Digger and Cultivator: a good, all-purpose weeding tool
- Garden Knife: for the stubborn weeds
- 5 gallon bucket to keep the weeds you just pulled off of the soil and out of the garden.
Weeds can quickly overwhelm a garden (and the gardener!) Hold on to that beautiful garden of your dreams and go show the weeds who’s boss- I’m rooting for you!
