Tagete ‘Minuta’-discontinued

If you have a patch of invasive perennial weeds that’s driving you mad, then try digging over the patch and then planting Tagete Minuta. The roots can help to actually kill the weeds – think Ground Elder, Bindweed and so on. What happens, is they release a chemical that deters the other weeds. We’d tackle the weedy patch this way:

1. Pull up as many weeds as you can at the start of the season
2. Mulch with a thick layer of compost (to block as much sunlight as possible so that the tagetes get a headstart)
3. Plant the tagetes – once they reach maturity, they should start producing the chemical to help suppress the weeds. Cut them right back in autumn before they self seed (they are unlikely to self seed in our climate, but just in case!)

It’s worth a try!