How to Clear a Vegetable Garden Full of Weeds

In this article I will show you how to clear a vegetable garden full of weeds. While the happiness you get by maintaining a vegetable garden is unparalleled, you cannot deny that the tough part of the job is dealing with weeds. Sometimes, this problem can be quite frustrating, because getting rid of weeds doesn’t seem to have a permanent solution. The methods you use to get rid of weeds seem to hamper your vegetable plants as well, don’t they? Well, after reading this article, you may get some idea of how you can keep weeds at bay while also protecting your plants in the long run.

Mulching method

What do you need?

• Mulch (preferably organic)

Process

• This is one of the most basic methods to get rid of weeds. You can cover the soil of your vegetable garden with mulch to prevent the growth of weeds. When you use organic mulch (available in stores that sell gardening supplies(, you will notice that they break down eventually after a while, leaving you with a healthy layer of fresh & fertile soil to work with.
• Mulching prevents or reduces the germination of weeds, thereby keeping the soil fertile for a long time.
• Using organic mulch (usually a combination of pine straws, dead leaves & twigs, branches, fruit and vegetable peels, clippings of grass and the like) is the best option, when you follow this method.
• If the weed growth in your garden is quite a lot, instead of applying mulch directly over the soil, it would be good if you first spread out some moist newspapers over the soil. Apply a minimum of two inches of mulch to cover these newspapers. This works effectively in keeping weeds at bay.

Vinegar method

What do you need?

• Vinegar weed spray
• Salt or dish soap (optional)

Process

• The acidic properties of vinegar help in preventing the growth of weeds in your garden.
• Invest in a vinegar weed spray, and use the right quantity to get rid of weeds from your garden. Using more vinegar than the recommended quantities can hamper the growth of good plants in your garden.
• If you have plenty of weeds, you can mix a little bit of salt or dish soap along with the vinegar while spraying over the weeds. Vinegar, being a natural killer of weeds, will considerably reduce the growth of weeds around the plants.

Landscaping fabric method

What do you need?

• Fabric for your garden landscape (DIY organic fabric is the best)
• Mulch (for best results)

Process

• This method is one of the best, especially during the off-season.
• When it is not the season for vegetables in your garden, you can cover the area with a landscaping fabric and leave it for about 3 to 4 months. This will prevent the growth of weeds completely.
• While readymade landscaping fabric is available in most garden supply stores, the most affordable and readily available landscaping fabric is cardboard and newspapers. Use these to cover your garden. Place some heavy items like bricks or rods over this cover, so that they don’t come off when it is too windy.
• For gardens that are prone to a lot of weed growth, you can consider applying a reasonable quantity of mulch over the landscaping fabric. This will give a double layer of protection for the soil in your vegetable garden.

Cover crop method

What do you need?

• Cover plants
• Manual effort

Process

• Weeds tend to grow quickly in the vacant spaces between the vegetable-bearing plants in your garden.
• One of the good but time-taking ideas to control weed growth is by planting cover crops in these vacant spaces.
• Yes, it may take some manual effort from you to plant and take care of these crops in addition to maintaining the other plants in your place. However, the effort is worth its weight in gold, as weeds will not have any place left to germinate this way.

Pulling method

What do you need?

• Manual effort
• Weeding tool (like hoe, weed puller claw and the like)
• Weed Burner

Process

• Pulling out the weeds manually is the most effective way of controlling them. However, this method will work if you don’t have too many weeds in your garden. Wear a pair of good gardening gloves, and be mentally prepared to get your hands and legs dirty in this process.
• If the weed growth is too much, you can also use modern weed-removing tools like hoe, weed puller claw and more.
• Weed burners or torches use a hot flame and a gas tank to kill the weeds instantly. However, this method is not recommended as it may affect the other plants in the garden.

Additional Tips and Advice

• When you follow the mulching method, please remember to follow the right quantity of mulch. Over usage of mulch can lead to excess moisture accumulation in the soil. This will cause your vegetable-baring plants to rot quickly.
• When you opt for the cover crops method, please note that our garden may not look very well organized or beautifully manicured. It may look a little all over the place; hence, go for it if you are okay with this kind of final look.
• If you don’t have vinegar, you can make a DIY weed spray killer by mixing a couple of tablespoons of baking soda with water.
• If you find a large growth of weeds in an empty patch of your vegetable garden, you can pour boiling water over the weeds to kill them instantly. However, ensure that you don’t have any live plants nearby as the heat from the boiling water can destroy the good plants as well.

To prevent the germination of weeds, you can apply soil pre-emergents in your garden. However, you should do this only when your good plants have already germinated properly. You can apply the pre-emergents in the soil and pour water over it so that they soak well. These prevent new weeds from developing, but they also prevent the germination of good