Tip of the Week — 6/03/08

Posted in Gardening Tips on June 3 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Weed-Free Heaven
 Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.

Gardening is much like housekeeping—as long as you keep on top of things nothing will get the best of you. Following a few simple rules and some good horticultural practices will ensure that you don’t end up being swamped with one big green mess.

Here are a few tips to keep weeds at bay:
Keep your garden a reasonable size, stagger your spring planting (remember freshly cultivated soil is an invitation for weeds), choose low maintenance plants, weed often (spend ½ hour a few times a week to keep your garden weed-free), attack flowering weeds first (don’t let them go to seed), hoe when the ground is dry, and hand pull when the ground is wet.