How to Remove Weeds That Have Overtaken the Garden

Question

My son has his first garden. When I told him that he needed to weed it, he did not do a very good job of it and now the weeds have pretty much taken over. The garden is producing but we really need to get rid of the weeds without harming the plants. Is it possible to do that?

Answer 1

It is possible to restore a weedy garden to order. It won’t be a one time fix though. Depending on how large the weeds have become, you might need to chop or cut back plants that can’t be pulled by hand. I have seen people mow their garden before trying to till. Once the largest weeds have been “knocked back”, the garden should be tilled or hoed to disrupt the roots of smaller weeds. Gardens should be weeded on a weekly basis. I’ve used sections from newspapers as a weed barrier successfully, and the newsprint degrades into the soil over the season. Also, IF, he isn’t sowing seed, and planting only rooted plants, he could use a pre-emergent herbicide. According to package directions (very, very important). Pre-emergents work on the germinating roots. (And, I promise, if you use a pre-emergent, anything sown from seed won’t come up, and if it does, it “won’t be right”. experience is the best instructor!)
This article has useful information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/garden-weeding.htm