The Farmer's Garden: Those Pesky Weeds

Weeds are a constant threat to your garden. They grow quickly and choke out everything in their path. Here are some tips to control weeds in your garden that does not require strong herbicides (ie chemicals used to kill and/or prevent weeds).

1) When initially preparing the soil, pull out the exisiting weeds and their respective root systems. By tilling the ground well, it levels the playing field. This will not eliminate weeds, but it does get everything off on the right foot.

2) As soon as you see weeds sprout, immediately pull them up. This takes consistent discipline; however, keeping out weeds will help your garden thrive. Not only will their be less competition between your garden plants and weeds, but this will ensure that the weeds are not stealing all the water and nutrients.

3) Check daily to see if new weeds have come up, especially after big rains. A small weed is much easier to uproot than a large one, and rooting out small ones prevent them from multiplying when they are old enough to reproduce.

4) A fast way to get rid of weeds between rows is to plow between the rows of plants. Not only does this kick dirt back up to the plants, but it also tears out weeds. If the rows are narrow, I reccomend just using a good hoe and/or a steel toothed rake.

5) Pull weeds when the grond is moist. If the ground is hard, you need to water the garden anyway. Don't wait until a rain comes to pull weeds; just shower the garden, and pull out the weeds when the soil has been softened up enough to pull them out by the root.

6) Many of your garden plants will have broad leaves, so, if you keep the garden thinned of weeds while the plants are young, the broad leaves of squash and such will block out the sun and keep weeds from growing underneath them as they grow larger.

7) Remember, as your plants grow, they will be able to fight off weeds when they are large and strong because they are now the dominant plants in the garden and not the weeds. This does not mean that weeds won't grow, but strong healthy plants can compete much better than unhealthy plants. Therefore, baby your plants with food, water, structuring, etc.

8) Don't pull weeds in the heat of the day! It's too hot and not worth the heat stroke. Just get up early or pull weeds late in the afternoon and evening. I recall a funny scene where I saw a lady at a local park who apparently seemed to have little experience in gardening/farm life. It was really hot, and I saw her out there pulling weeds. Sweat was pouring off, and the weeds were out of control. The weeds had gotten out of hand, and the heat was draining her every last breath. It was amusing because many people don't realize how much work a garden can take. They think you just throw some seeds, and wallah! A bountiful harvest! That's not how it works; it takes time and discipline, yet knowing what time of day to do things makes garden a whole lot easier and more fruitful.

In light of the Fall, weeds are part of gardening. Nevertheless, God has granted common grace, which means that He has given us insight in numerous ways to help prevent and reduce weed growth. For that I am immensely thankful. Glory to Him! Amen!