How do you eliminate ragweed from your garden?

April 13, 2023 Ask the Expert, Garden Design and Maintenance

Question:

My garden has become infested with ragweed. I am planning to skip a year of gardening this year due to other priorities. Is there anything I can do or plant to reduce or eliminate this ragweed infestation?

Answer:

Donna Coffin, Extension Professor

Thank you for your question on ragweed. A garden can become quickly infested with an annual weed like ragweed when it is allowed to set seed.

The first thing in weed control is to identify the weed. Many times I will double check with the Go Botany site to be sure I have identified the weed correctly. Here is the page for Common Ragweed.

There are several things that can be done to manage a weed infestation. We actually did a video on this very topic. You can access it here – Episode 5: Managing Weeds.

If you are not going to be around this summer, then planting a cover crop will help crowd out your ragweed. This publication on Cover Cropping for Success has suggestions for a number of crops that can be used for weed suppression. Remember the cover crop will need to be terminated before it goes to seed so it doesn’t become your next problem weed.