Weeds, what to do?[Complete beginner]
Jamiet
Posts: 1
Hi,
I'm a beginner gardener and still very much learning the ropes. I have a veggie patch in a raised bed which I weeded last weekend - I cleared everything nd my carrots/parsnips were good to go.This weekend i went out there again and the weeds were back with a vengeance.
Any advice about how I can get rid of them and keep them away? Can I use a weedkiller when I've got veggies in the same patch? If so, any recommendations about which one?
thanks Jamie
0
Posts
My thoughts are that it's not so much a question of keeping weeds away as keeping them under control. Weedkillers don't just kill weeds, they'll not do your crops any good.
Hoeing weeds off is a good habit to get into, preferably on a warm dry day, little and often.
This may sound odd, but I enjoy weeding. Obviously if you're starting a neglected plot there's a lorra lorra hard work, but once that's done a little potter round on a nice evening I find therapeutic
Depends on the weeds... Do a bit of research on the difference between annual and perennial weeds and try to identify what you've got. Annuals can be hoed off and forgotten about, though tend to be more widespread and can sprout overnight, perennials need to be poisoned (but only when you've no crops in there), dug out fully (ie. the roots too) or just regularly chopped off to weaken them. Typical perennials include dandelion, bindweed, nettle, ground elder but you could have all sorts in there. The trouble with veggie plot weeds is that the best thing to sort annual weeds is to hoe off weed seedlings and mulch the surface to stop more germinating - but you also want to create perfect conditions for YOUR seedlings! Kind of can't have one without the other. Sow in rows and hoe between is really all u can do about these. In sunny weather, you can leave the hoed off ones one the surface and they'll shrivel and die. Dont leave bits of perennial root, or you'll just be propagating them nicely. Bx