For the shorter rooted weeds such as creeping buttercup a hand fork is useful.

 

Of course you can always use weed killer to control your weeds but is important that if you do you read and follow any instructions carefully. Read here about potential problems if you compost treated plant debris.

 

We have used a weed killer gel to paint on persistent perennials which were growing in the midst of garden plants.

 

Perennial weeds shouldn’t be placed on the compost heap. Also bear in mind that perennials seeds will be present in the soil and so more will grow. Try to catch them whilst they are still small as this way they are easier to deal with. Also remove any seed heads from perennials weeds before they have a chance to spread.

 

Annual weeds

 

Short lived weeds don’t usually regenerate after the tops have been removed so one way of tackling them is to use a Dutch hoe to cut off the tops. This works well in warm dry weather as the tops quickly shrivel and die. I use this method in between fruit bushes where digging isn’t possible also cutting down the digging means that the seeds lurking underground are not exposed to light and set into growth. It is important though to hoe regularly whilst the weeds are still small. Some weeds can grow and set seed within a few weeks.

 

When buying a Dutch hoe bear in mind that the narrower blades can access smaller spaces between plants.

 

I also use a hand fork for weeding short lived plants - especially in between rows of young seedlings or if the ground is damp or the weeds are quite large.

 

Of course if the ground is soft weeds can often be pulled out with a free tool that is available to everyone i.e. bare or gloved hands.

 

In between onion plants or bulbs where weeds are growing very close to the bulb and to pull them out would mean dislodging the bulbs I find an onion hoe or hand hoe to be a really useful tool.

 

Another tool that I find useful for loosening the soil around plants for weeding is a hand cultivator or as I call it a claw

 

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If an empty bed has been left over winter it is sometimes colonised by short weed growth which could almost be classed as green manure. In these cases we often just quickly run a mini tiller over the soil to prepare for planting.

 

Weed Prevention

 

Around our some of our apple trees and our redcurrant bushes we have cut down the weed growth by using a weed control fabric which is held down by old tree branches and covered with bark chippings - read about it here.

 

It’s quite difficult to weed amongst the roots of mature trees and we think that the application of the weed control membrane also helps to cut down on fruit tree pests that hide in grass at the base of fruit trees.

 

We’re lucky in that out bark chippings are provided by the council free but you can also buy sacks often at wood merchants.

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We grow many of our crops through weed control fabric - you can read more here We choose the heavy duty 100g weight fabric.

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You can also buy pegs specially designed to hold down the fabric but we prefer to mulch with chippings.

 

When we planted up our new strawberry bed we wanted to try and avoid it becoming overgrown with weeds. We lay straw under the berries to protect them from becoming dirty but we felt that the straw left lots of seeds behind  which grew up close to the plants and were difficult to remove without uprooting the plants as well.

 

We came across a new product called biodegradable mulch which we tried but being very lightweight it was difficult to work with and it was also a struggle to cut the very thin, stretchy fabric with scissors. It didn't prove to be a good option for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve never tried using one of these but you can also buy something called a weed wand. The wand runs on butane gas and is a sort of giant cigarette lighter that burns the weeds. It is recommended for use for clearing patios and drives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some images from Harrod Horticultural, Greenfingers and Lawn Mowers Direct