10 Tips for a Weed-Free Garden WITHOUT Chemicals, Tilling, or Landscape Fabric

By - Emma Rauschert, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist

Dandelions and violets are both edible weeds. The entire dandelion is edible. The violet's leaves and flowers are edible.

You may think that weed-free gardens don't exist, but they do. I have seen a few with my own eyes. Maybe you are in a small group of people who enjoy pulling weeds, but if you are like most people, they're your worst enemy. Weeds can be a nuisance in the garden, but they can also tell you things about your soil, which is an entirely different and fascinating topic. There are several ways to achieve a weed-free garden; use some or all of these methods, and you will surely have a good outcome. 

Mulch with compost.

I cannot tell you how much my garden has improved after bringing in compost and mixing it into my garden soil. My garden's soil structure improved dramatically, making weeding 10x easier. The weed's roots come out easier, and I can hoe out small weeds before they become big weeds. Compost also improves soil health, which will improve the health of your produce. Having a garden without compost is like having ice cream without french fries, it's just not as good as it could be. You can get compost in the back of a pickup truck from a local nursery, delivered to your property by a compost company, or in bags. 

Mulch with straw.

Straw is another secret weapon for your garden's battle against the weeds. Straw bales can be broken down and fluffed out around tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, and strawberries. Straw is great at retaining moisture and can be especially beneficial during the dry, hot months of July and August. As straw decomposes, it breaks down into your soil and helps aerate the soil and improve soil structure and fertility. Do not put straw around small plants; the wind will likely carry it over and kill them. Put several inches of straw around established plants, such as tomato transplants. Do not put the straw right up against the plant, as this can cause rotting at the base. Before applying straw, make sure there are no existing weeds, as large weeds can grow up through the straw. 

Use the right tools.

If you are just starting out, a few gardening tools you absolutely must have are a stirrup hoe and a trapezoid hoe. I love using the stirrup hoe to break open the top layer of soil before I plant to aerate and kill baby weeds. Trapezoid hoes are excellent for garden maintenance. Japanese hand hoes can be handy for smaller areas. After using any gardening tools, be sure to rinse off the dirt with water. Soil left on a tool will rust the tool.

My favorite gardening tool: the stirrup hoe.

Cultivate before the weeds are there.

This time of year I go to battle with all the baby weeds. Gardeners are really only successful at gardening because we are so good at killing plants. Before I plant anything, I am disturbing the top layer of soil that has gotten hard and compacted from the sun. Even if I do not see weeds, I do this. I would never use a rototiller for fear of killing the precious red wigglers and earthworms living in the soil. Because I do not till my garden, I have a colossal amount of worms that aerate and fertilize my soil. 

Don't allow weeds to seed.

One year of seeds gives seven years of weeds. If there is one thing you take away from this, it is not to let weeds ever go to seed. Those seeds will wreak havoc on your garden for years to come. You may also want to keep the perimeter around your garden mowed short so dandelions or other weeds will not go to seed and then drift into your garden. Once you see a flower on a weed, you had better be pulling that sucker out. If you pull weeds by hand, be sure to get the root, otherwise the weed will grow back. If your garden is full of weeds that have gone to seed, I would start completely from scratch by finding a new garden plot or tarping it off to kill the weeds. 

Water strategically.

Watering only your desired plants and not weeds can be beneficial. This can be achieved with a drip irrigation system or simply by hand watering only the desired plants. Watering your crops will give them an advantage to grow bigger and stronger and help crowd out the weeds. 

Use bark, a stone, or a piece of wood to smother large weeds.

I have this lovely large sheet of bark that likes to hang out in my garden. I move it from one large weed to another. Certain weeds, such as burdock, a large clump of grass, or a long dandelion root, can easily be smothered out with a large flat rock, sheet of wood, or heavy piece of bark. You can leave your object over the weed for a few weeks before moving it along. The lack of sunlight will kill the pesky weed, and once it is gone, you can move your smothering object to another weed. The key is to be sure whatever you use will cover the weed completely and not let in sunlight. 

Remove all existing vegetation before you start your garden.

THE BEST way to avoid weeds is by effectively preparing your garden site. The perfect blank slate for starting a garden is a large patch of bare soil with nothing growing. Tarping off an area for a few months is the best way to kill weeds. New gardeners should tarp off their desired garden location with a weighted down tarp. The tarp will kill all vegetation. You can till it once after tarping and mix in compost. Then, you can bring in your plants. You should think about weed control before you plant your first seed, not after. 

Avoid tilling.

Tilling often to remove weeds can actually make your garden soil hard and difficult to work with. Tilling can also turn up old weed seeds under the layer of topsoil. Mulching should be done instead of tilling. If you must till, do it in the early spring when the ground can be worked. Gardens should only be tilled once a year if at all.

Eat them.

One great way to get rid of weeds is to pull them up and eat them. Many weeds in your garden may be more nutritious than the vegetables you are growing. If worse comes to worse and your garden becomes overrun with weeds, you can harvest certain weeds. Some edible weeds include lambsquarter, dandelions, and those beautiful little purple violets. The entire dandelion plant is edible and rich with nutrition. Lambsquarter has many health benefits and is best eaten when young and tender. Violets may be my favorite weed to eat. The flowers can be used to top cakes or ice cream and the leaves can be used in a salad. Before eating weeds, be sure you know what you are looking for and double-check that they are edible and which part of the weed is edible. 

Don't be afraid of weeds—make weeds afraid of you. This is your garden—show them who's boss.