Keep Weeding for Long Term Benefits
Don’t stop weeding. Removing weeds throughout the gardening season means fewer to manage next year.
Weeds compete with our garden plants for water and nutrients. Even new native plantings need a helping hand, so weeds do not dominate the space. As plants grow and mature they are better able to outcompete the weeds
These unwanted plants also serve as host for a variety of insects and diseases. Keeping them out of the garden can help reduce the risk of these pests infecting our desirable plants.
Contact your local municipality for guidance on disposing of these plants. Many allow you to dispose of invasive plants in the garbage if placed in a clear plastic bag and marked invasive.
Regular weeding allows you to remove the weeds before they flower and set seed. This means you’re preventing hundreds even thousands of weeds in your garden for years to come.
A bit more information: Use annuals that are not flowering or have set seed as mulch in the garden or add them to the compost pile. Do not do use annual weeds that are flowering or have set seed. And keep perennial weeds, diseased or insect infested material or invasive plants out of the compost pile. Most of our compost piles do not generate enough heat to kill these plants and pests. Consider using the power of the sun to manage weeds in new and annual gardens.