Weeds

• Gone for now. Gone for good.
• Mulching!
• More mulching!
• Put your corn in clover!  Cabbage and cauliflower, too!
• What about those pesky weeds in sidewalk and patio cracks?
• When is it easiest to pull weeds?
• Convenient tool for getting at those tiny weeds

How many times do you want to pull the same weed?  Some of the peskiest weeds have taproots.  One speck of root left in the ground can send up a new plant.  Take the time to get the whole root now and you won't be pulling it again in a few weeks.  And never, never, never let a weed hang around long enough to set seed.  

MULCH! MULCH! MULCH! (Kay F.)    Mulch, mulch and more mulch!!!  (ala Ruth Stout)  keeps weeds down and veggies cool and damp.  I use old hay or straw (whatever dh happens to have around), either big round bales that I peel off pieces or small bales that fall apart in 2-3" chunks.  I also put newspapers down in the walkways and around the edges of the garden first to keep weeds out and then the hay/straw.  Works great!

Use clover as undersowing: it curtails weeds and actually helps certain plants, such as corn, cabbage, and cauliflower, flourish; plus, after harvest, you have a ready-made cover crop that can be used as mulch.

To get rid of weeds that come up between patio cracks and gravel, pour boiling water on them.

Do your weeding right after a rainfall. Weeds pull out much more easily. Or plan to do your weeding right AFTER you water the garden.

Little weeds are easier to pull than big weeds, but sometimes it's hard to get a grip on the really tiny ones.  Make the job easier by keeping a strawberry huller with your gardening tools.