Secrets to Weed Control in Your Organic Herb Garden

Growing your own organic herb garden probably means you are devoted to herbs that are healthy for you and gardening practices that don't hurt the environment. But what do you do when the weeds start coming in? Herbicides are definitely against the spirit of organic gardening, but when you see swathes of weeds start growing, you might not know what to do! Taking care of the weeds in your organic garden is a process that takes time and effort, but once you get started, it is easy to keep on going.

One cheap and easy way to make sure that your weeds don't get out of control is to put newspaper on top of them and then straw on top of the newspaper to make sure that it doesn't blow away. This means that the weeds underneath will die while your herbs, which were left uncovered, will be just fine. You can also use mulch for this, though you should be careful not to inadvertently help the weeds along.

Just because you cannot use herbicides doesn't mean that you can't use anything at all. For instance, when you are fighting a particularly stubborn clump of weeds, hot water can kill them, as can normal white vinegar. Remember to be careful when you are using this method, though, because these are not selective forms of herbicide. You need to be okay with killing off plants that might be nearby. With the vinegar, you are essentially acidifying the area and making it tough for things to grow at all. It's a bit extreme, but if you have tried everything else, it might be something that you need to do.

When you go out to fertilize your herb garden, make sure that you take your time and that only the herbs get fed. It takes more time, but it can be well worth it to make sure that only your herbs are getting nourished. You may also want to avoid methods of fertilizing your garden that broadcast the substance all around. It can give you more weeds than you know what to do with!

Remember to be proactive. The easiest time to get rid of weeds is when they are very young and easy to pull up. Depending on where you are and what your garden is like, you will find that this means that you are out in your garden every day or every other day. Even if you take all the measures listed above, there is a chance that you are going to be pulling weeds regardless. It's essentially the price that you pay for organic gardening, but you will find that it becomes a habit before you know it. Even if you let it go for a few days at a time, remember that some wedding is far better than none at all!

Remember that your organic herb garden takes time and that the benefits of your harvest are well worth the work of weeding!