MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Organic Weed Control

Anyone who has grown a backyard garden knows all too well that vegetables can quickly disappear in a jungle of weeds. So how do you keep a garden weed-free? And can it be done effectively using hand tools?

It’s important to acknowledge that weeds compete with vegetables for water, nutrients, and growing space. Despite the views in some “natural” gardening circles, the idea that it’s possible to grow beautiful vegetables in harmony with weeds is simply untrue; just as seeking a cropping system that would not require weeding in some form or another is unrealistic.

So-called natural organic herbicides claiming to control weeds may do so in the short term, but they destroy the long-term biological health of the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from MOTHER EARTH NEWS

MOTHER EARTH NEWS6 min read
Avoid ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Your Garden
Over the past decade, cardboard boxes have become a frequent visitor to many households, ultimately ending up in landfills and recycling facilities—but also in garden beds. In 2019, Amazon alone shipped about 2.5 billion packages around the world, an
MOTHER EARTH NEWS2 min read
Our Many Paths
In August 2023, I stood before an attentive crowd to discuss poultry genetics: egg color, sex-linked traits, and broilers. I referred to the previous speaker, who raised Red Rangers but, after seeing how carcasses dress out the same, switched to Corn
MOTHER EARTH NEWS5 min read
Use Cardboard in Your Garden
Usually, you have to choose between fast, cheap, and good; using cardboard in the garden achieves all three. It’s fast, it requires no special tools, and you can obtain everything you need to do it free of charge. It’s a no-till, chemical-free way of

Related Books & Audiobooks