Weeds are basically defined as any plant you don’t want in your garden or landscape. It might be welcomed by another gardener, but to you it’s a pest.  I often embellish this definition with “every gardener’s nightmare!”  As our days grow increasingly warm, and our gardens become stressed, weeds take a foothold in our gardens.  Unfortunately, those quick and easy solutions often heard over the advertising airways are not the ultimate answer.  But I have found some practical approaches that may help you keep those weeds at bay.

In the early spring start preparing your garden or landscape beds in ways that prevent weed growth. Remove as many weeds as possible.  Many folks like to till the garden area mechanically or by hand.  The quick mechanical approach for vegetable gardens works just fine, but in your shrub and perennial gardens, you stand to damage the root systems.  A hand hoe and pulling by hand seems to work best for removing pesky winter over weeds. Also understand that tilling can allow for easy removal of many weeds, but may allow some weed seeds to germinate.  If you do decide to till the soil, light tilling of 2 inch depth is usually recommended to bring fewer weed seeds to the top for propagation. In many cases where I observe beds with greater than 30 percent weeds, it comes down to deciding to pull out the perennials and start the bed like new.

Once the weeds are removed, I like to apply a pre-emergent product to the garden surface.  I have been using an environmentally friendly corn gluten based product this year with success. The chemically based pre-emergent product in stores most familiar to gardeners goes by the trade name: Preen.  Once the pre-emergent is applied, my best line of defense is a good application of compost! My favorite is organic hardwood mulch.

Mulching is one of the easiest and most beneficial maintenance techniques you can practice.  A good 2 and one half to 3 inches of organic mulch top dress in a garden can be your best investment for the season. This layer not only deprives weed seeds of the conditions favorable for their growth but provides your garden with fantastic by products of moisture retention, protection of root systems and nutrients for growth.

Did you also know that plants themselves can serve as mulch with weed inhibition?  The leaves of he plant and close proximity of others can actually crowd out weed production.  This fact suggests that your initial plan and design of the garden plays a key role in overall weed production.  By layering your plants, carefully examining their bloom times, and respecting their size growth, you can ward off pesky weeds.

Many folks believe black plastic or landscape fabric to be their ultimate defense against weeds.  They figure once installed, your garden is now protected like a knight in shiny armor.  Well let me tell you, some of my biggest garden restoration challenges have come from neglected areas covered with synthetic fabric, now profuse with weeds on top and throughout. So don’t be fooled, nothing is impervious to weeds and grass roots!

And my last line of defense against weeds is keeping the garden healthy. Providing the necessary water and fertilization to your garden, keeps your plants growing strong and less susceptible to disease and weeds.

Inevitably you will have to deal with a few weeds this season. So here are a few ways to make it a bit simpler:

• Tools: A variety of garden tools, available at garden supply stores, make weeding easier.  My personal favorite is a simple hand hoe. I keep it in my back pocket ready to use.
• Timely watering: Deep roots are easier to remove in damp (or wet) soil than in dry soil. Try weeding just after your morning watering, dampen the area to be weeded, or do your weeding right after a heavy rain.
• Weed preventative products: Keep in mind that, pre-emergence products are effective only before germination, not on established weeds, so timing is critical.  Using a pre-emergent several times during a growing season is also necessary. The one shot application early spring, just maintains for a period.
• Herbicides: There are many products on the market to kill weeds. It is important to read your product labels carefully.  Most herbicides are designed to work within a specific time frame.  Valuable plants can be harmed or killed if they come into contact with non selective herbicides.  Water and wind carry herbicides, reducing their effectiveness in your garden and polluting the environment. Avoid applying herbicides when it's windy or just before a heavy rain.
• Alternative products: Consider some natural alternatives to killing weeds. Kitchen pantry items such as vinegar, clove oil, and liquid soap combinations are being used with success to combat weeds.  Author Sharon Lovejoy has written a great garden resource offering many natural solutions called Trowel and Error.  You can visit her web site at www.sharonlovejoy.com for more information.

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* SueAnn DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping.
 Chip’s Landscaping designs, constructs, and maintains outdoor landscape and water garden features in Saratoga County.