But weeds have this virtue:

 they are not easily discouraged; they never lose heart entirely; they die game.... in all cases they make the most of their opportunities. ~

John Burroughs (1837–1921)

The many ways to master the WEED.

Many fellow gardeners may give up the fight of the ever encroaching WEED by raising the white flag and turn for toxic weed treatments".

 I hope to show you there are ways to conquer the weed while having an organic chemical free garden.

Mulch, mulch, mulch and more mulch.

This idea may seem a little foreign to some gardeners but if you add enough mulch around your garden plants no weed will survive.

There are many forms of mulch a person can use like leaves, straw, shredded newspaper (only the black ink ) to name a few.

Mulching not only cuts down on weeds but has so many other benefits for you garden.

1. It puts nutrients back into your soil.

Mulches add organic matter to the soil, feed microbes, reduce soil erosion and compaction, and create a much happier ecosystem.

2. It cuts down on watering.

Not only does mulch capture water and prevent run off during heavy rains, it keeps the ground cool and maintains soil moisture.

3. It cuts down on weed growth.

By covering the soil, mulch blocks sunlight from reaching weed seeds, preventing them from germinating and growing.

4. The worms will love you.

Many types of mulch, particularly organic mulch like wood chips, straw, or shredded leaves, gradually break down, providing a food source for worms. They feed on the decomposing organic material, which is rich in nutrients.

As worms move through the mulch, they help aerate the soil, improving its structure and allowing for better water and nutrient absorption.

This in turn helps feed the worms that help improve your soil.

Sheet Mulching

Now this is not what is sounds like, and we don't use bed sheets. 

We do cover the ground with cardboard and layer mulch over the top.

  By doing this the cardboard helps block sunlight from reaching the weeds, preventing their growth while also improving soil health as the materials break down over time.

My best advice is to go to your grocery stores or furniture stores and ask for their cardboard, (or save all those amazon boxes).

  One of the biggest benefits of laying down cardboard under your mulch is that the mulch last much longer and the worms absolutely love it!

One bit of advice I will tell you is if you soak the cardboard first, just so it's more pliable it is much easier to work with and lays flatter on the ground.

This only helps if you are adding the top mulch before it drys out.

Above is an example from the website of James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association.

I will leave the link that better explains the idea of sheet mulching.

https://jccwmg.org/wordpress/using-cardboard-to-build-healthy-soil/

This by far is my favorite method (a little ugly until you get the top mulch on ), but hey the worms don't mind.

I do hope this will bring you a little reprieve from all the weed pulling and help keep your soil chemical free.

  Believe me the WORMS will thank you, the BEES will thank you along with the BIRDS, (who love to scratch in the mulch).

Happy Gardening !