A gardener has shared a handy method to help keep weeds at bay while ensuring plants are still able to grow and thrive, and it can be done using a common household item that’s often thrown away
Jess Flaherty Senior News Reporter
11:44, 31 Oct 2025
The gardener’s method helps to banish weeds while ensuring plants thrive (stock image)(Image: Dougal Waters/Getty Images)
A gardener has shared a handy method to kill weeds while helping plants grow and thrive – and it all comes down to repurposing an item you’d normally throw away. Weeds can be a common bugbear for many gardeners, and keeping them at bay can prove tricky.
One gardener has shared a helpful technique to stifle weeds – and it doesn’t even require extensive digging. Amy May, who posts online as The Plant Realm, used cardboard in her garden to prepare a new garden bed.
This method is relatively straightforward and repurposes cardboard boxes that’d likely just be chucked in the recycling bin or discarded. To try it for yourself, simply lay down layers of tape-free cardboard, ensuring the edges overlap so light can’t get through.
After that, cover with compost or mulch and, in time, the cardboard will decompose while enriching the soil. This will help stop new weeds from being able to get through.
Amy May, who is based in Australia, shared a video of herself completing this method on YouTube. In the footage, she can be seen layering cardboard around a tree near the edge of her garden.
In the caption accompanying her video, she simply wrote: “Using the cardboard method to prep a garden bed”.
Fellow YouTube users were keen to share their thoughts in the comments section, with many in agreement over the method’s effectiveness. One person said: “That’s exactly what I’ll do in my front garden! Thanks for the idea.”
Another said: “I’ve been doing this for decades. It works great as long as you keep it away from the trunk of the tree. Also if you have dogs make sure not to use a cardboard box that dog food/cat food came in, they smell it and will dig it up regardless of how much mulch you put on top.”
A third shared a coincidence: “This is crazy, I did this today for the first time. I used compost instead of soil and mulched the top. Next spring Hydrangea city!!!!”
A fourth commented: “This works and is great for people with disabilities”.
Someone else advised: “I do a lot of cardboard covering in order to kill my grass and enlarge a bed. BUT, let this be a warning. The plants around the cardboard still need to be watered. If you were using sprinklers or natural rain in the past, you might need to hand water until that cardboard breaks down enough to let the water through.”
One person said: “A great way to avoid wasting good soil and get rid of weeds at the same time”.
While another agreed: “I do exactly the same. It helps against weeds for a while.”
And someone else added: “This is such a smart idea thanks! I see less weed eating in my future”.
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