How to Pull Weeds in a Garden
Weeds are the bane of every gardener. Keeping them under control can be done in a couple of ways. The best way is by preventing them. Although this is not foolproof, it will reduce your time spent pulling weeds in the garden immensely. Do consider using a weed blocking method in the future.
- Start along an edge rather than just jumping in somewhere. This will keep you focused and give you an overall view of your progress as you go. Create a clear line between the edge of the turf and the edge of the garden. Weed pulling is a lackluster task, but seeing your progress can help you stay on task.
- Grasp the weed just under the surface of the soil as possible. To do this, dig around the base of the plant a bit to grasp the base of the plant and the start of the root system.
- Grip the entire weed in your hand, plus as much of the root system as you can get a hold of.
- Pull back gently, but with a strong grip. You want to avoid yanking, as this will encourage breaking off the weed at the soil rather than removing everything. Some weeds have weak stems, so it may be impossible to get them out without breakage, unfortunately.
- Move from one side to the other in each row of plants grasping and pulling every weed in this way.
- Use caution when approaching weeds close to your vegetable plants. Pulling of weeds that are too close to the plant can loosen the root system of the good plant. Gently pull them in the opposite direction of the good plant to avoid that. This should not happen if you stay ahead of the weeds.
- Lay down a mulching material, such as rotted sawdust, to deter growth of future weeds.
- Make a pile of weeds as you go: these can be composted, or you can lay them around the bases of the vegetable plants to create light mulching. That helps to hold moisture in the soil.