Alan Titchmarsh on how to get weeding and create some space
Unwelcome guests in the garden? Take action now, says Alan, and your cherished plants will be happy
Weeds start growing as soon as the soil temperature tops about 40°F (4°C) in spring. Unfortunately, cultivated plants need several more degrees of warmth, so weeds get a head-start. They grow faster, too, which is why they take over so easily. But if you keep on top of weeds right from the start, it is possible to keep them under control.
Annual weeds
Common varieties of annual weeds include fat hen, groundsel, chickweed and red deadnettles. In borders, start by hoeing the weeds off in early spring while they’re still small, then cover all exposed soil with a mulch (use well-rotted compost or, better still, bark, which lasts longer and won’t permit new weeds to grow on the surface). This smothers germinating weed seeds and keeps the ground virtually weed-free for the rest of the growing season, but you’ll need to add a new layer every spring.
In the kitchen garden it’s safe to dig in young annual weeds at the start of the season, before they produce seeds. They act like green manure, although you’ll need to wait a few weeks for them to rot away before planting. If you need the ground straight away, hoe off the weeds and rake up the remains.
During the summer, hoe regularly between rows of growing crops before the weeds are more than an inch or so tall. If left, they compete for light, air, nutrients and water and can harbour pests and diseases, spoiling your veg and salads. Use a long-handled push hoe (such as a Dutch hoe) or a short-handled onion hoe to allow for greater precision between crops that are easily damaged. Remember to sow rows of veg with enough space between them to allow a hoe to pass through easily.
When it comes to overgrown areas in the kitchen garden, use a long-handled chop hoe, which makes it easier to clear a lot of weed growth, and make sure that you clear away fallen weeds so they can’t re-root.
Perennial weeds
Common varieties include stinging nettles, creeping buttercups, ground elder, bindweed and couch grass.
If you’re clearing overgrown ground, start by cutting down top growth by hand and clearing that away, leaving short stumps, then dig out as much root as you can. Leave the area fallow for a whole season while you tackle problem weeds. Either level the area and mow off weeds each time they grow, or cover the soil with black plastic or old carpet to smother weeds out by denying them light.
Where weeds grow among plants in borders, all you can do is cut the weed down to soil level and keep repeating each time it reappears. In time, this will weaken the plant but don’t let it recover between “haircuts”.
Spot-treating individual weeds with weedkiller is risky in this
situation as spray drift will affect nearby plants. Paint-on solutions can be used effectively, however. In the veg patch, cut down the weed to ground level and dig out when the crop is cleared.
Lawn weeds
The most common varieties are the rosette-shaped and low creepers, including daisies and trefoil, as they can pass under mower blades unscathed. Low-growing lawn weeds need to be pulled out by hand, or spot-treat using a special lawn weedkiller. For large areas, combined lawn feed and weed products are available. But wildflower lawns are a valuable wildlife resource, so consider leaving prettier plants.
Weeds are often a symptom of a neglected lawn. Feed the grass in April, then mow regularly. Upright weeds can’t survive regular beheading and disappear naturally. Then reseed bare patches in spring to prevent annual weeds colonising them.