There is this moment in a gardener’s life where we look at the Garden and realize that it’s an explosion of madness that has gotten away from us. Just this exact scenario happened to me last season where I realized I only had two choices: 1) Clean up the weeds, or 2) Burn it all down. Above you see my finished project and below you see the overgrown mess filled with grass and every weed imaginable before the cleanup.

Tips To Minimize Weeds

Reduce Soil Disruption – It’s true that weeding begets more weeding because the more we disturb the soil, the more opportunity weed seeds have to drop in or be pulled up, then germinate. Same goes for digging and cultivating. Every time we disrupt the soil we risk triggering weed growth.

Mulch – Seriously my dear garden friends – MULCH! Use a mulch that is natural such as wood chips, straw, pine straw or try Kellogg Garden Organics Gromulch, it is a 2-in-1 planting mix and mulch recommended for trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Pull Wet Weeds – One of the important techniques in pulling weeds is to make sure and get the entire root of the weed or it will come back thicker than ever. This is more easily done after a heavy rain because the soil is moist and the weeds become easier to pull, particularly deep tap rooted weeds.

Drip Systems and Watering – The more you water weeds, the more they grow. Therefore, do not water them. Use drip systems that enable you to specifically place water where you want it – on your bedding plants – and not on the weeds.

A Secret Garden Mess Fix Tip

Fixing the garden mess is easier than it sounds. First of all, ASK FOR HELP if a garden bed has gotten away from you. Why not have a weeding party with friends and family? A glass of iced tea and good conversation over a weedy bed is a great way to help someone out. If you have so many weeds that you are overwhelmed and ready to dig the entire garden under, but want to keep your garden organic, there is a solution. Simply lop off all the heads of the weeds, then lay a layer of newspaper or cardboard down over the top of the weeds, being careful to leave “holes” for the good plants to peek out. Then cover the cardboard with a thick layer of mulch or soil.

Practice till-free gardening techniques of adding new layers of organic products such as leaves and soil both under and over mulch annually to help smother out the weeds and add nutrition to the soil for your perennial beds as well as the area around shrubs and trees. Kellogg Garden Organics All Natural Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables is a good choice that I used for my behind-the-fence weedy garden mess. We pulled as many weeds as possible, placed a layer of newspaper down, then used the Kellogg Garden Organics All Natural Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables as a “mulch” over the top of the newspaper (see photos below).

Have a weedy mess? No problem. YOU GOT THIS GARDENER! Go out and take care of business with an all natural approach that is good for the environment and good for your family.

About the Author:

Shawna Coronado is a successful author, blogger, photographer, and media host who focuses on wellness by teaching green lifestyle living, organic gardening, and anti-inflammatory culinary. Most recently Shawna has written the books, “The Wellness Garden” and “101 Organic Gardening Hacks”. Shawna campaigns for social and community good – her garden, food, and eco adventures have been featured in many media venues including television news programming, radio broadcasting, and PBS television. You can learn more about Shawna at www.shawnacoronado.com.

The post SECRET FIX FOR AN OVERGROWN GARDEN MESS appeared first on Kellogg Garden Products.