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Keeping your garden free of weeds is a never ending task. Even a rock garden will find these pesky flora growing up between the crevices. However, you don't have to be overwhelmed by hours of strenuous weed pulling if you prepare your garden properly and tend it on a regular basis.

If you are trying to keep weeds out of a flower garden there may be weed killers on the market that can do the trick. Talk to a local garden center specialist to find out if your flowers can survive a dousing with Roundup. As weeds become more resistant to these solutions, however, you will want to find a way to avoid higher doses and more deadly chemicals.

If you are growing a vegetable garden, spraying poison on it is simply not an option. Even if you wash the surface of your crop before consumption, you can still be ingesting residual toxins. The following information will show you how to minimize unwanted plant intrusion without the use of sprays.

If you are using home made compost, monitor it with your compost thermometer to ensure that it has established a high enough temperature (over 120 degrees) for at least 15 consecutive days to kill any weed seeds present. This will help keep your soil from being contaminated during the enrichment process.

Edge your garden with a plastic or wood liner. This approach will allow you to use a weed eater along the perimeter of your garden without damaging the plants. It is also a very effective way to keep grass runners from invading a ground level garden. Be sure that your liner is not inserted so deeply that it prevents proper soil drainage.

Mulch serves the dual purpose of discouraging weed growth (by blocking sunlight) and keeping moisture in the soil. Shredded black and white newsprint makes an inexpensive mulch but you may prefer cypress for a more attractive appearance. Avoid using mulches such as straw or grass clippings that will pull too much nitrogen from the soil as they decay. Mulch between your rows of plants as soon as the weather is warm and add more as needed throughout the summer.

If you tend your garden frequently you can pluck the tiny weed seedlings with little effort and no disruption to your vegetables. To make this task easier, always moisten the soil 10-15 minutes before you start pulling. This will allow the dirt holding the weeds in place to soften and increase your chances of removing the entire root structure.

Learn more about this author, Shasta Daisy McCarty.
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