Why weeds take over & what gardeners can do

Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe

How do we even get a garden full of weeds? Well, weed seeds are delivered to us by a number of methods… birds drop them in their poop, the wind blows seeds in, we transport them on the soles of our boots and clothing too. Weed seeds are even delivered in loads of mulch and soil etc. It is inevitable weeds will somehow pop up in your garden. 

A weed is still a plant which is part of our ecosystem and it offers a lot of the properties other plants do. But a weed is defined by being wild, growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants. As a veggie gardener, I want all of my efforts in the garden to go towards a good yield in the crops I want to eat. When weeds are allowed to smother the plants you are wanting to grow, they are stealing the nutrients and essentially robbing you of a good harvest. They have got to go! 

 I want to empathise with you about weeds today and maybe also offer some solutions you might not have thought of yet. 

 In an ideal world, we would be pulling out each weed before it gets the opportunity to seed. Well, that certainly doesn’t happen at our place! Those cobblers pegs just pop right up out of nowhere. While I am busy focussing on one area, I stand back to enjoy what I have achieved, turn around and am horrified that Cobblers Pegs are flowering right beside their best friend Patterson’s Curse! Grrr! 

Identifying a weed 

The Sunshine Coast Council website has a full list of what is considered a weed in our area. It is a good reference to use to identify potential weeds at your place. There are small weeds like the rapidly spreading Singapore Daisy, up to the huge trees of the African Tulip. Is it a good idea to be knowledgeable on what is a weed and do your bit to keep them at bay.  

Hard chemicals and other products

The go-to solution for weeds for way too long has been products containing glyphosate. I know we are all trying to do better when it comes to chemical usage, but this is an area which is really worth reviewing what you are using. 

Could you possibly switch to another product? We have been using Slasher on our 3 acres for a while now and have found it pretty good. While this is not a product review as such, it is important to share what we have all found. Then we can endeavour to make better choices moving forward.

Slasher is used like Round up, sprayed on the weeds on a fine, sunny day. It browns the leaves so you can see where you have been, but it is not as lethal as Round up. You might need to revisit areas for the stubborn weeds. It is biodegradable, safe for use on veggie gardens, is safe for pets once dry and is Australian made. 

While it might take a bit more time, I think it is certainly worth moving away from the hard chemicals. Unfortunately, the earth friendly, organic sprays are more expensive, but the benefits of not having hard chemicals being used on your property is worth it. Keeping chemicals away from our soil and water means safeguarding our children from them too. Nothing is more worth it than the next generation. It is worth researching the other environmentally friendly weed killers out there.  

Other methods

We live in a rural area and use sheep to keep the grass down. For the last 15 years, our sheep have been slow motion lawn mowers, eating grass which in turn keeps the weeds at bay. It works but I know not everyone can have a sheep at home. 

Smothering weeds is a great option in the garden. Depending on what size area you are dealing with, you could use anything you can get your hands on to cover the weeds. Cardboard is a good start. I have used old carpets at times. In November each year I start to cover each empty veggie patch bed with black plastic for the summer. 

This method is called solarisation.  The heat under the plastic during the summer kills the weed seeds. You can also burn weeds with a burner. This method is easy and there are lots of varieties on the market. eg electric, gas etc. Maybe worth looking into?   

When I worked at the school and ran the Kitchen Garden, I used to pay the students in lollies when weeding needed doing. 

If we came back after the school holidays and the weeds were getting away from us… I would bring in a packet of natural lollies and pay each student a lolly for every 20 weeds they brought to me. It worked. I had ‘Weed Checkers’ in place, who were older students making sure that each weed had the roots attached. 

They would count the weeds and pay what was due! Weeding became so much fun. It was speed weeding… as the students knew that the lolly pack wasn’t never-ending! Ha. Maybe you have young people at your place who could help you out? 

The best time to weed

Ideally weeds come out of the ground easily after we have had rain. I do enjoy weeding when it is easy and you are getting the roots each time. It is satisfying to pull the roots out. 

Nut grass is a real pest in a couple of our garden beds at home here though and it doesn’t come out too easily at times. They seem to join each other under the soil and come back time and time again. 

I don’t have a really great solution for nut grass, other than manually pulling it out. If you have a solution, please let me know, so I can share it. 

Remember Homesteaders … it is us verses the weeds. We must win!

Happy Homesteading everyone! 

That’s not a pretty bunch of flowers but a whole lot of Patterson’s Curse.

Cinnamon is one our manual lawnmowers.