Hey there, gardener! Today I’m sharing my four game-changing strategies to keep your garden weed-free without manual weeding or chemical weed killers. In this video, I’ll explain techniques like using cardboard and mulch, heavy-duty weed blocker material, grow bags, and living mulch plants to drastically reduce your weeding workload. These methods have been a lifesaver for my busy schedule and have turned my Florida garden into a much more manageable and productive space. Make sure to give a thumbs up, share your own non-chemical weed control tips in the comments, and subscribe for more gardening tutorials.
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hey there Gardener welcome to my Channel today I want to share with you my four strategies to keeping my garden weed free without having to actually weed by manually pulling out the weeds or using some sort of chemical weed killer I don’t know about you but I absolutely loathe weeding and I know myself I’m not going to take the time to weed anything I work a full-time regular job plus work on my Nursery business and this YouTube channel so I don’t have time to weed even if I wanted to however if I don’t do anything the weeds very quickly get out of control in my Florida Garden in just a few weeks time I have a jungle of Weeds on my hands that is a nightmare to clean up I had to learn some different ways to help control the weeds in my garden and that’s what I want to share with you in this video if you’re new here hello and welcome my name is Jara this is Teddy I’ve been gardening all of my life and I’m a professional seed and plant nursery I love to share my knowledge and teach others how to garden and grow food so you’ve come to the right place if you want to improve your gardening skills all right so let’s start with strategy number one and that’s laying down cardboard and then adding Mulch on top of it this is a fantastic way to start a new growing space that is covered in Grass if you don’t have time to wait for solarization to kill all the grass or weeds and you don’t want to till the soil and hand weed everything start by laying down cardboard instead I get a ton of free cardboard from my local grocery store or save your Amazon delivery boxes just make sure you remove any tape that is on them and then you can lay them down you need at least two layers for this to work well I find that the tougher weeds or things like crab grass easily make their way through just one layer so that’s why I say add two or even three layers if you can the cardboard will smother them out for a pretty long time it lets water pass through and it breaks down over time attracting a ton of earthworms to the area they seem to really love paper products water the cardboard down before adding Mulch on top to lock the cardboard in place then throw a thick layer of mulch on top like 5 in I get free wood chips from Chip drop.com so that’s what I’m using today just poke a hole straight through with a small hand shovel and plant this method won’t last forever but it should get you through one or two seasons without having to weed I also repeat this whole process right over my garden beds and and growing spaces after I finish harvesting to continually smother out the Wheats you could just heavily mulch everything without adding a layer of cardboard but that won’t last as long as when using cardboard with it I get a delivery of free wood chips about once every 1 to two years I have a video all about that which I will link below in the description but I lay down a very thick layer of mulch that basically blocks all the weeds and their seeds sitting on the surface of the soil just waiting to get some sunlight to germinate or grow it has to be a thick layer to work you’re basically depriving the plants and seeds beneath it from germin over time new wheat seeds and growth will start popping up on the surface of the mulch which is basically the new soil surface but it lasts for a good while not to mention the mulch breaks down to help build soil rich in organic matter my second strategy for not having to manually weed the garden is the use of heavy duty weed blocker material this material works just like solarization the plastic prevents access to sunlight so the weeds die out not all weed blocking material is the same though a lot of them will say it will last for 10 years or 20 years what that really means is that the plastic material itself won’t break down not that you will be weed free for 10 or 20 years weeds can still get through this usually when there is a hole in the material but it by far suppresses and kills the majority of them I like to use this in my walkways to prevent weeds from growing there and then reeding into neighboring garden beds I use it when I shut down sections of my garden during the summer sometimes I put it over my garden beds and plant right into it by burning holes into the material with a small hand torch I can even direct so seeds into the holes I especially love to plant squash and melon crops into the holes so the vines can sprawl out over the surface of the plastic instead of coming into direct contact with the soil where a lot of pest and pathogens live that will jump up onto your plant so it does help reduce the incidence of diseases and pest just a little bit I realize this is using a lot of plastic but I do reuse it even the ones that I burn holes in them because those holes are lined up to match square foot gardening guidelines and I can just keep planting stuff in it it is not hard to remove this stuff it’s being held in place by some extra long landscape hooks I just pull them out and roll up the plastic I have tried so many different brands of weed blocker material and the only one that has held up is the wit brand weed blocking material specifically I will link this in the description below so you can find it too and just some frequently asked questions when I mention that I use weed blocker material because I know you’re going to ask number one can water get through yes water can flow through this weed blocker material because it is a woven fabric-like product two will it kill earthw worms so far in my experience using this it appears the worms move out of the area when they sense the soil is heating up I still have lots of earthworms in my soil when I remove the black weed blocker material they just come right back number three will the weed blocker material heat up plant roots yes this can happen and it can be bad for your plants for example I was growing tomatoes in the holes I burned through the plastic when it was hot the leaves started curling up due to their Roots overheating so going forward I do not plant tomatoes into the holes anymore I only have had this issue with tomatoes though I didn’t notice it with any of my other crops or things like squash and melons so it appears tomato roots are just extra sensitive to soil temperatures number four does this get rid of crab grass or Bermuda grass it helps but crab grass is tough I’ve seen it grow long Vines over the top of the weed blocker material so remove that if you see it but usually the vines or roots of the crab grass under the material get killed over time the third strategy to combat weeds involves alternating between growing in a garden bed area and grow bags let me explain what I mean after my summer crops were done this entire area turned into a mini Jungle of leftover plants and weeds instead of clearing everything by hand I just rolled out a layer of weed blocker fabric right over the top seriously I just smoothed it over the mess no weed pulling required if you have really tall weeds chop them down just a little bit first it’s easier to lay the fabric flat this way overlap the edges of the weed blocker so no weeds poke through I like using extra long Landscaping Staples to keep it in place but you can use bricks or Stones whatever you have on hand this weed blocker is going to stay here for a few months it basically cuts off the sunlight and all those unwanted weeds and plants underneath will slowly die back back while this is shut down I just put some rows of grow bags right over the top so I can keep growing later on I will remove the grow bags once they are finished producing and go back to planting in the ground in this area this can also be seen as a way to do crop rotation in smaller Gardens where shutting down even a small bit of growing space really hinders how much you can produce after a few months when the plants in all of my grow bags are done producing I’ll just remove all of these bags and then peel Up the Weed blocker material from this entire growing space underneath most if not all of the weeds have died back I’ll then prep this growing area for whatever I want to plant next that is also a fantastic time to mix in some compost or other amendments into the ground soil before you start planting again over time weeds will basically spread their seeds all over the place and the ones that are sitting on the surface level tend to germinate so by constantly covering up the soil with the weed blocker material I’m kind of killing a lot of those weed seeds which is how you reduce the seed bank of all the weed seeds that are around in your garden lastly my fourth strategy is to use plants to fill Garden spaces and block out the weeds this is called a living mulch this works particularly well in food forests areas of larger space that you have a hard time controlling or under taller plants like fruit trees the best plants to use for this are going to vary depending on where you’re located but you want to find things that are low growing have a sprawling type of growth habit and is perennial in your Zone because if it is an annual and keeps dying that means there are bare spots for weeds to fill in if you can find a living mulch plant that is also edible that’s like a double win-win situation in my garden I use longevity spinach and okan spinach as living mulches they both sprawl out and are low growing they grow into Lush thick mats so to speak and the entire plant is edible if I decide to clear out the space as in remove these plants because maybe I want to plant something else in that spot they are easy to just pull out you just yank out the vines there are also lots of herbs and flowers that would work for this too just focus on the perennial ones like oregano for example I have this Italian oregano growing in a raised garden bed but I just want to show you its low growing nature and how massive it is this is just one plant and it’s covered a large area blocking out the weeds another option is sweet potatoes if you don’t mind them going crazy and rooting in random spots I can’t do that in my small garden because they will just take over but I definitely do it over at my aunt’s Garden because she has a couple acres of land sometimes I get comments like I see weeds in your garden that’s unacceptable my garden never has weeds yeah for real I get comments like that the reality is the majority of gardeners struggle with keeping up with the weeds it’s a huge problem that makes a lot of us just give up so that’s why I wanted to share some alternative methods that make it easier plus I just don’t think a lot of gardeners understand some of you are blessed to be gardening in areas with normal weeds and grass with all the summer heat and rain I get in Florida my garden turns into a jungle in just like 2 weeks if I don’t Implement these weed killing strategies so please give me a big thumbs up if you found this video helpful and share it with other gardeners who are really struggling with controlling Wheats if you have any weed control ideas that are not chemical based please comment below and share make sure you subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of my gardening tutorials and here’s that video about how I get lots of of wood chips and use it around in my garden in case you wanted to watch it happy gardening and I’ll see you in the next video
24 Comments
Cardboard is poison. Not good for edible garden
Someone will always complain about how you accomplish something they can't. Most people, even with degrees, are not experts at anything, and maybe they don't like you for something beyond your control. I am jealous of your strength and ambition in the exhaustive heat, but I am a builder, not a destroyer. Keep up the good work. I think you probably know when to sit in the shade, or have a sip of water. My climate is different but the same this time of year. Thank you.
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Get to it talky talky talky
Many weeds are edible and nourishing.
Yes, weeds will form on top of the mulch as they blow in from the neighbors and get dropped by birds. Chip Drop can be great but you never know what you're going to get from different arborists. Some loads are perfection and others include huge chunks of wood and small branches and I still trip on them today after they've been sitting there for a few years.
I watched Anne of All Trades video about how weeds are truly there to fix a problem in the soil. I think that’s a good way to think about them. They will only grow where there is a deficiency. Fix the soil, fix your weed problem.
I cover my raised beds with fall leaves and lawn clippings, and I mean cover. When its time to transplant and direct sow I part this cover wide enough to expose a row and have room to transplant/sow and cover with soil. I do not till, but break up the soil with a standard garden fork, then break up further with a cultivator (4 prong rake looking..?).Then move the leaves/clippings back around the plants. Direct sow I leave open just enough open for the seedlings. Not only did this revitalize some exhausted soil, but there are so many earthworms. Plants are thriving again and no weed problem. Drip irrigation is under the cover so watering is less often required. Just an idea that works and is FREE.
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Thanks for sharing this technique!
For Bermuda grass, would it be overkill or crazy to try one layer of cardboard, then the weed blocker material? I live in zone 9b where it rains little, and summer temps get to 115. Any ideas?
agree with your ideas and thank you! I my 5 years of being on chip drop in Central Florida, I have yet to get a drop and I even say I will pay. My strategy is to flag down tree crews near by and ask if they can drop their chips on my property instead of paying a dump fee at the landfill.
If someone says they don't have weeds they are a liar.. that is too laugh lol a little Roseanne humor.
Where do you get your Paul Robeson seeds since you are currently out of stock?
I recently watch a video that said weeds and veggies need different nutrients to thrive..if you have alot of weeds then your do not have the appropriate soil for your veggies..if you have few weeds then you have the appropriate soil for veggies but not weeds.
Weedblock material is awful! I will never use it again. Water never got through it, it took forever getting it out of the garden. Never again! It was a woven blocker still no water went through!
DeWitt is my fav but I like the thicker with a fuzzy backing. They make thinner, slick on both sides. Put it down so I can sweep up cherry tomatoes that fall/split. They attract bugs. People probably think Im crazy lady sweeping my garden. Wgenever I put a stapke, weed seeds will find that & grow but not overtake. Put cardboard behind shed near neighbor's garage. Pulled it up 2 yrs later & no, no, no. Had termites! Neighbor has plywood & pallet boards laying down & I suspect they came from that wood. (Very moist back there & giant weeds). I'll have to find a perrenial for North zone 5. I'm getting older & cant weed as well.
Good video. Good voice, good tone, and volume, and most importantly, your speed was perfect, and you got right to the point.
Roots need air too.
Are there knockoff versions of that black plastic w/ yellow line you're showing on the video? I used this last year, covered with river rock, and almost immediately weeds and grass came up. I overlapped and used dozens of staples.
I tried landscape fabric one year for the garden. I first unrolled it on the nearby grass lawn, and after just 30 minutes the grass turned yellow. There is some coating on this material (unregulated from China) that is very bad. You certainly don't want this residue near your soil and vegetables. Stick with the cardboard !!!
take a breath once in a while !
Longevity Spinach & Okinawa Spinach are annuals in zones below 9. I noticed your palm tree. Clearly, you're in zone 9 or above. These are annuals in my zone.
Thank you! Great suggestions.