Weeds

The War You Can’t Win

It’s a million degrees outside right now, and rhe weeds are thriving. They’re probably the lushest thing in your garden at the moment. They’re thriving in the exact conditions we’ve created to support our plants, but they’re far less picky about it. Many grow very quickly in extreme heat and right now they are mocking me. There are others that are biding their time until conditions are perfect for them

Gardeners always want to know how to get rid of weeds. If you Google it, you’ll find the usual advice—mulch, improve your soil, plant ground covers. These are all good suggestions, but they don’t address what gardeners really want to know: how do I banish them forever?

Strategic Flaws

Let’s break it down. Mulch, ground covers, and even soil health—these strategies sound great in theory, but they have limitations. If you’re truly using enough mulch to smother weeds, you’re probably suffocating your soil in the process. Commercial mulches are often mostly just dyed wood chips, which aren’t ideal for the soil. And they will contain weed seeds - everything contains weed seeds, your soil may have millions of them waiting for their chance to sprout.

Ground covers are often touted as the holy grail of weed prevention. And while ground covers can offer some competition, they’re not a weed-killer. In fact, many can coexist with weeds just fine and pulling them out can damage the groundcover. Even worse, some aggressive ground covers can turn invasive, creating their own set of problems. They have plenty of good points, but they will not get rid of your weeds.

Redefine Victory

There’s no magic bullet. The only solution is to accept that the best you can do stay on top of it and have some control. Managing weeds is like cleaning your refrigerator: you can organize and deep-clean it, but that doesn’t mean you never have to clean it again. Just like your fridge, regular cleanups will prevent large colonies of unwanted growth.