Organic Weed Control in Flower Gardens: Effective Methods

Organic weed control relies on persistence and multiple tactics:

• Hand weeding with a trowel—most reliable, especially for perennial creeping weeds.
• Boiling water, vinegar, or salt on seedling weeds (avoid desirable plants).
• Smothering: 5 layers of newspaper in spring, topped with 4 inches of mulch.
• Mulch: Any type, 4 inches deep, suppresses weeds and conserves moisture.

Creeping perennials require digging out roots. Once cleared, thick mulch prevents re-establishment. Weed seeds on mulch pull out easily.