Weed Control Strategies for a Cleaner Garden

Techniques for Keeping Weeds at Bay

Pathways: Keep vegetable garden walkways weed-free with roll-out Pro Weed Mat.

Bed edges: The garden always looks better with a crisp edge. Use roll-out edging—recycled rubber or coco fiber—to maintain a clean edge all season.

In the beds: The long-handled Hula Hoe makes it easy to eliminate random weeds that spring up.

Weeding isn’t all bad—there’s something wonderfully therapeutic about it. Little brain energy needed, hands busy, mind free to daydream, ponder big questions, or just check out. True whether weeding vegetables, cutting garden, or perennials.

Pathways in vegetable and cutting gardens are a challenge. Years ago I tilled paths every few weeks early season. But as I packed more plants into beds, paths narrowed—no room for the 7-hp tiller once plants fill out. Besides, less tilling is better: noise, moisture loss, “burns up” organic matter.

I tried straw mulch on paths—expensive, and sprouted oats are almost as bad as weeds. Another solution: newspaper layered with recycled coffee bean bags (free from local roaster). Aesthetics aren’t great, and I worry about chemicals on bags, but with heavy newspaper underneath, bags last all season. Nice to walk and kneel on.

Cutting garden and shade garden paths are more permanent; Pro Weed Mat (walkable) works well.

Apple trees, lilac hedge, dwarf conifers, foundation plantings: covered with Weed Mat and 2–3″ wood chips. Some areas weed-free for 5–6 years. Only troublemakers: ground ivy creeping over mulch from lawn—pulls easily as it penetrates chips but not fabric. Wood chips (truckload from local tree trimmer) last longer than shredded bark, look coarse but fine for outlying areas—price is right. Recycled rubber Tree Rings are new: air/water permeable, 1″ thick (stay put without staples/mulch), last years.

Cut a crisp bed edge with the Steppin' Edger.

For grass creeping from every garden edge, two solutions:

1. Edging tool: Half-moon tool used in British gardens for centuries to cut clean edges around gardens, paths, landscape plantings, anywhere grass meets garden. Unless your garden is huge, edge everything in a couple hours. Trick: do it monthly (I admit I only edge in spring).
2. Plastic edging: “Put it in once and have it over with.” I’ve installed hundreds of feet around vegetable, cutting, perennial, and shade gardens. Heavy-duty black plastic edging in a roll (4″ high, rolled top edge, dirt-hugging grooves against frost heave) is stiff to install but permanent. Installed flush with soil, only rolled edge visible. Mower blades go right over for neat finish—no weed trimmer needed. If soil isn’t stony and little frost, try Pound-In Edging (several heights, easy install).

Even with best prevention, weeds happen. My favorite weeding tools: my right hand, a hand fork, and a hoe.