Please can you help a newbie?

andrew.doyle4

Hi all

I‘m new to gardening so this may be a stupid question!

There is a weed going wild in my borders (see pictures) I pull it out and hoe but it comes back within a few weeks. Is  there anything I can do to stop it coming back or will I just have to keep fighting a losing battle?!

Thanks in advance!

Andrew

Dovefromabove

Those are weed seedlings from a variety of common garden weeds ... and possibly some self-sown garden flowers as well.

You're doing the right thing by hoeing ... if you 'tickle' the surface of the soil regularly every few days with a sharp Dutch hoe , you'll keep them under control ... no real need to pick them all up at that size, particularly if you time your hoeing for when there's a dry spell with a bit of sunshine ... the weedling roots will dry out and they'll die off.

The problem with gardening (well, one of the problems) is that the soil is full of tiny seeds and they just keep on germinating ... gardeners have to keep on hoeing ... it's just a fact of life ... some of us find it contemplative and satisfying ... others find it a dratted nuisance ... I hope you discover that you're one of the former type of gardeners. 

Dutch hoe.