How to Have a Weed Free Garden

Starting up the tiller and breaking up soil used to be the first step to creating healthy garden soil. The truth is, tilling soil just brings up dormant weed seeds that germinate when they surface.

Successful no-till gardening means building up garden soil with organic compost and other amendments. Begin with a soil test and add amendments according to the recommendations. Working compost into your garden soil every season will improve drainage and nourish your plants.

Instead of tilling, dig up weeds by hand when you see them, and use tools like cultivators and hoes to cut the weeds at the roots.

Each step you take in your garden disturbs soil and allows weed seeds to set in. Build walking paths in your garden to keep it tidy and suppress weeds.

You can create walking paths out of pavers, gravel or mulch. Build paths the right way by suppressing weeds with layers of cardboard or base material first.

Create healthy soil with organic compost and mulch. Routinely enrich your garden soil with thick layers or organic compost or mulch to block weeds.

Top dressing with mulch has many benefits. It keeps the soil cool in summer and warm in winter, slows evaporation for less watering and it gives a tidy look to your garden. When you mulch your garden, add a 2 to 3-inch layer around the vegetables, but keep it a few inches away from plant stems.

You can use packaged or bulk mulch, or make your own from plant material. Pine straw, coarse bark from trees or hay straw, all can be used to suppress weeds in the garden. Be sure to stick with organic mulches that will break down into the soil. The vegetable garden is not the place for rubber mulches, unless it’s a pathway.

Drip irrigation will save you money on water and will keep weeds down. Targeted watering means that weeds won’t get watered at the same time as the plants you want to keep.

Soaker hoses that slowly drip water at plants' roots keep plants looking their best, longer.

Use techniques like soil solarization to kill weeds. Layer black plastic over the soil, weigh it down with bricks in the corners, and let the intense heat of the sun bake the weeds out of the soil. Learn more about soil solarization.

Cover crops are beneficial plants to add to your garden at the end of the season. They give back to the soil while preventing weed growth and soil erosion. Some popular cover crops include:

• Buckwheat
• Field peas
• Oats
• Red clover
• Winter rye

Planting cover crops will prepare your garden for the next growing season and keep it looking nice during the winter.