Every gardener dreams of having a weed-free garden. That dream can become a reality when you discover how to create and maintain a weedless garden. To have a weedless garden, maintenance is key. This article will give you some tips and tricks so you can significantly reduce the number of weeds in one season and with due diligence, completely get rid of all weeds.
Cook the Soil
Cook the soil for 6 months before starting a new garden. Mow the grass and weeds down as low as possible, then cover the area with black plastic sheeting. The black plastic will heat the soil and cook all emerging weeds and weeds seeds that are in the soil.
This should be done in late summer and allow the black plastic to remain on the soil until early spring.
Prepare The Soil
As soon as the soil is workable in the early spring, remove the plastic and work the soil. Add 4-6 inches (10 – 15 cm) of compost and lightly turn it under.
Cover the soil with garden fabric (also known as weed block fabric, landscaping fabric, weed control fabric, and weed barrier fabric) and cut X marks in the fabric where seeds and plants will be planted.
Start Planting
Plant seeds and seedlings at the proper time. Plant them a little closer together than normal to reduce the amount of soil area that is left unplanted. These are the spots where weeds like to grow. Healthy soil can support more plant life than we think, and the closely-grown plants will choke out weeds.
Inspect seedlings that you purchase in contains before planting them. They often have a tiny weed or two growing in the same container.
Mulch
Apply a 4-inch (10 cm) layer of organic mulch as soon as the garden plants are 4-6 inches (10 – 15 cm) tall. Avoid using hay, straw, or fresh grass clippings as these typically contain weed seeds and will defeat all the hard work you’ve done to have a weedless garden.
Use tree bark, nut hulls, shredded newspaper, pine needles, or cardboard as mulch. Place the mulch directly on top of the garden fabric.
Living mulch can be grown by planting large-leafed squash plants at the base of corn, sunflowers, or pole beans. Melon vines also make great living mulch when they are allowed to grow freely in the garden.
Hand Pull
Hand pull any weed that dares to grow in your garden. Discard the weeds away from your garden so birds won’t pick up the seed head and deposit the seeds back into your garden.
Never Leave The Soil Bare
Bare soil is an invitation to weeds. Always keep the garden soil covered with mulch. Apply a new layer of garden fabric as needed (usually once a year).
