5 Chemical-Free Weeding Tips

Spend more time planting and less time pulling with our 5 best weeding tips.

No matter how hard you work to keep your landscaping neat and tidy, weeds seem to pop up in even the most well-maintained gardens. Weeding is a necessary chore, but it can feel like a daunting task – especially if weeds have managed to invade your beds.

Use our five weeding tips to stay on track and keep weeds from robbing your flowers and other plants of nutrients – without using harsh chemicals.

1. Get a head start

Weeds begin to form in the spring months. Instead of letting them grow and tackling weeding as one huge project, pull 10 weeds every few days from the start of spring. The job will be less overwhelming if you make it a regular maintenance task throughout the growing season.

2. Remove the roots

Spend a little extra time up front removing the root to ensure the weed doesn’t grow back. Use a weeding trowel or a flat-head screwdriver to get under the root nest before pulling them out.

Tip: After using the weeding trowel, wash it thoroughly with Home Made Simple Dish Soap to remove dirt and grime so it’s ready the next time you need it. Here’s how to do it:

• Add a teaspoon of Home Made Simple Dish Soap to a gallon of hot water
• With a dishrag or sponge, scrub away the grease and oil (do not soak hand tools, as soaking could lead to etching on certain materials)
• When clean, thoroughly rinse hand tools under running water and dry them with a towel right away

3. Use ground cover sheeting

Cover the entire garden with ground cover sheeting – or a plastic tarp – to prevent weeds from growing in the first place. The sheeting or tarp will block sunlight from the area it covers, preventing weeds from taking root. And this task doesn’t have to be done before planting! Simply cut holes in the sheeting to fit over the existing plants before laying it down.

To apply sheeting:

1. Moisten the soil you plan to cover
2. Rake the soil to remove rocks and debris
3. Cover the entire garden bed with sheeting, cutting the sheeting into sections so it’s easier to work with
4. Secure the sheeting in place with steel U-shaped pins
5. Cover the sheeting with 4 inches of mulch

4. Utilize gravel or mulch

Even if you don’t use ground cover sheeting, mulch and landscaping stones are natural weed deterrents.

Tip: Ask for mulch from tree-trimming companies, or find out who trims trees for the city and ask them. It’s inexpensive – and sometimes free.