Veg beds tend to be lovely and weed free for about a week after planting, but then the weeds sneak in and one thing leads to another…before you know it your precious vegetables are surrounded by weeds. Here’s how we stay on top of things:
- Mulch. Use a leaf mould, or compost to cover the surface of the soil. It’ll help to suppress weeds and it gives and easier surface to hoe (below). An alternative is to use grass clippings or “Strulch” which is quite effective.
- Hoe regularly. Every 2-3 days, simply run a hoe along the surface of the soil. This will uproot the tiniest of seedlings before the roots have time to properly take hold. If this is done on a dry day then all the better as they seedlings will die on the top of the soil rather than cleverly re-rooting.
- Use a hand fork to dig up deep rooted weeds while they are still small. Don’t wait until the dandelions are full sized. Don’t wait for the dock leaves to send their root down 3 or 4 inches into the soil. Get the hand fork out early and you can easily dig them out without disturbing the soil too much for veg plants.