Controlling Weeds in Garden Beds

The term 'weed' in a broad sense is used to describe any green herbage that grows where it is not wanted. For our purposes we will concentrate on those persistent grasses and small plants that come up in every nook and cranny and open space in the garden. The burning question is how to get rid of them, assuming one doesn't want to make use of poisons. Because weeds produce many thousands of seeds per plant, per season, this is a long term issue but one that can be almost entirely conquered over time. Like most gardeners, I view weeding as a torture to be endured when I would much rather be doing something, anything else. 

For four years my attacks on the weed population in my garden appeared to have had no effect at all but slowly, bit by bit, there seems to be hope for the future. I put this down to three rules I follow although I know that if I let up my quard for just a couple of months, I'll be back where I started.

Many of these little plants cling to life with alarming tenacity and the whole root must be removed or they will simply come up again after a few days. Use a narrow trowel, a small garden fork, or any one of the wide variety of weed removers available on the market, and remove the whole root from the ground. Most plants we call weeds are plants from the fields and meadows, where for millennia they have been grazed to the ground by wandering herds. They have enormous recuperative abilities. The majority of weeds that are cut off at ground level will re-grow with multiple heads and stronger roots. Dug out properly, you may never have to dig the bed again if you then follow-up with.....

There are some weeds that do not respond to any form of removal and then it may be excusable to use the "kiss of death" - a sponge soaked in a weed poison that causes the roots to rot, is wiped onto the leaves of the weed. Wear plastic gloves and be careful not to drip poison on anything else. Weeds that need to be treated this way are those with very long or brittle tap roots which break under the ground and re-grow tougher and stronger, and bulbous plants that shed bulb-lets under the ground every time you remove the mother plants from the ground. In its own category is the problem of wild or lawn grasses coming up in beds. There is only one working solution, other than poison. Dig it out. Dig deep, follow the roots under the ground with your hands and trace them to their source. If there are plants in the way, take them out and set them aside or plant them in a temporary position until their bed has been made habitable again. Use the opportunity to add some compost and refresh the bed, before replacing the plants. You will probably still have a few shoots growing again from tiny pieces of root that you've missed. If they are shallow, dig them out. If they appear to be rooted to the center of the earth, break them off as deeply as you can or give them the kiss of death.