There is a seemingly endless list of weed plants, some specific to regions and climates, and others that can be found anywhere. And they consume more of our gardening time, over the course of a growing season, than all other gardening chores.

What are Weed Plants?

It helps to understand what weeds are, how they grow, and where they thrive in order to get them under control.

To properly define a weed, we need to consider a few things. Weeds are just plants trying to survive and carry on. There are some beneficial weeds that actually have useful purposes; the lowly dandelion and purslane are among the most common.

Grown deliberately, without pesticides, these can be a tasty addition to salads. But in our lawns or vegetable gardens, they have to go.

Some weeds are annuals and some are perennials. Depending on their life cycle, they are producing seeds throughout the growing season and beyond. You just never know when they'll appear!

Why Eliminate Weed Plants?

Aside from their unappreciated appearance in an otherwise well maintained lawn or garden, weeds rob water and nutrients from the soil and surrounding plants.

As they grow larger, they shade plants that require the sun, weakening root systems and destroying plants.

And they grow vigorously, taking the space above and below ground that our plants need. Weeds can take over quickly.

How do we Eliminate Weed Plants?

The easiest way to eliminate weeds is to stop them before they start! But first we have to be able to identify them, hopefully at their earliest stages.

There are chemicals you can add to a new bed of soil, but we should avoid this approach, especially if planting edibles.

Before planting, work the soil in new beds and let it sit for a few weeks. Remove any weeds that appear, stopping the production of seeds. A layer of landscape fabric can be placed on the soil, with a layer of mulch or straw on top.

Alternatively, you can cover the soil with clear plastic and let the sun kill weed seeds near the surface, along with diseases and other pests; but this can take several weeks of sun and heat.

When weeds appear in your beds, there are several methods of removing them. Set up a weekly weeding routine.

Pulling young weeds by hand is the easiest method, as they don't yet have deep roots and haven't been able to damage nearby plants.

Pronged cultivators are good for deep rooted weeds like dandelions, to avoid damaging surrounding plants when pulling.

A hoe works for larger areas, and where you have rows of plantings, scraping small weeds from the surface.

Don't forget areas outside your garden when weeding. Weeds are famous for popping up in cracks in the sidewalk and even between bricks in steps.

Get rid of these before they go to seed and blow onto your garden beds. There are also herbicides which can be used.

Choose fatty-acid based organic ones, especially if you're growing edibles.

Remember, don't add weeds to a compost pile is they've gone to seed; you're just extending their lifecycle.

Our gardens require time and tending to flourish, and weeding is perhaps the most time consuming of our gardening chores. But many weed plants have useful purposes, too.

Remember, weed plants are here for a purpose, whether we agree with it or not.

So let's eliminate them where they're not wanted, but appreciate the amazing ways they have learned to adapt and survive in an otherwise hostile environment, one which we create for them.

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