Episode 5: Managing Weeds
In this edition of Victory Garden for ME, learn about the importance of managing weeds in your garden, how to prevent and manage weeds, the stale seedbed method, and much more!
Helpful Tips and Resources:
There are many Weed Identification tools and research-based publications are the best place to find information about weeds.
- Online resources include
- Books for this purpose include
Understanding Basic Botany will help with navigating the Keys used to identifying plants.
- This Botany Primer from North Carolina will help with this.
- This Glossary of Horticulture Terms can be a reference as well.
Cover Crops and Organic mulches are two ways to help prevent weeds from becoming established in the garden.
- Cover Crops and Green Manures
- Cover Cropping for Success
- Using Chickens and Cover Crops to Control Weeds in Asparagus
- MOFGA also has a fact sheet on Garden Weeds (PDF)
Throughout the season Mulch is an option that can accomplish many things including suppressing weeds.
- Mulch, Soil & Compost – Common Mulches & their Characteristics
- Calculating quantities of Mulch, Soil, and Compost
- Choosing Mulch for your Garden – UNH
- Solarizing and Tarping in the Garden
Having the right tools for your garden can help make the weeding more effective.
- Physical Weed Control such as managing weeds through hand weeding, cultivation and flaming are options
- The right tool for the job is important. This Accessible Gardening resource is a good place to start to find the right tool.
- Getting and keeping tools in good order will make those tools last and be more effective when used
More information is available on UMaine Cooperative Extension’s website and in the video description. Please be sure to check out our next video on watering your garden!