Best Solutions For Weed Control

With the recent snows over, it’s getting closer to the point when I will have to venture out into the garden and assess the damage caused and figure out what I need to do to make it look presentable. One of the downsides to having a large garden and a busy job is not having much time to spend in doing much else except weeding and lawn mowing: most of the shrubs are left to get on with it themselves..

One thing that is very important is replacing some of the nutrients in the soil. With all the rain in December, plus the melting snow, all the flower beds have been pretty thoroughly washed out and the remaining soil is more like clay than anything else. As soon as the spoil starts to get warmer I usually head out with an electric hoe to get the soil turned over and this is an ideal chance to put some nutrients back in. I’ve used a number of different composts, but the one that seems to work best in my garden is mushroom compost. As well as longevity, just about everything in the garden seems to thrive with this type of compost, as opposed to other varieties with greater acidity.

With so little time to spend gardening, the less time I can spend weeding, the better. Laying down bark chippings on freshly weeded beds is a good way of cutting down on weeding and as well as looking attractive, adds a bit or organic nutrients to the soil as it breaks down. Just remember to turn it over from time to time, especially after mowing the lawn to keep the neatness and stop weeds finding a purchase in the upper layers. If you don’t want to be constantly repairing the borders then slate chippings may be a better idea.

It is obviously more expensive and time consuming to lay in the first place, but well worth the time and cost in the saving it will make on maintaining the area; all you will really have to worry about is watering plants.