Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello everyone,
I seem to be weeding every other week at the moment and I'm trying to think of different ways to reduce the amount of weeding and bending to make it (hopefully!) a little easier. I've tried the spade, hoe and fork, but they don't seem to be the best tools to use for regular weeding in between plants and getting the weed roots.

Does anybody have any suggestions maybe?

Thanks,

Mulch with something (plastic sheet, bark, compost, etc).

Hoe - either a Dutch hoe or a Swoe (which I use, but it can be hard to know exactly where he Head is if you are trying to hoe close to plants. Unlike a Dutch hoe it works on both the Push or the Pull stroke; the Pull stroke can be more energetic for removing stubborn things).

Thanks Kristen, mulching with bark looks like a tempting option, would you recommend putting some plastic stuff down before the bark to stop the weeds?

TT
The Lord invented fingers before he invented forks, a very handy weeding tool they are you get a bit of dirt under your nails but that is part of the course,
It depends what you are growing, potato's can be covered in a thick blanket of straw pull up the ridges first, I had some success with a straw mulch around my overwintering onions and garlic, I am in the process of putting down straw mulch for my brassica's and have straw under my squashes but would not bother mulching carrots, beetroot,broad beans or peas.

Thanks PaulW, mainly it's for legumes (sweetcorn, lettuce, leeks). Bark/Straw does look like a good weed supressant. I forgot to add fingers on my original tools list! Very true, handy tools they are.
Recently the weeds have started to come thick and fast and the fingers appear to be asking for 'out' from weeding for the rest of the summer! Do you use a plastic cover before using straw?

TT
No plastic, sweetcorn is grown amonst the squashes sort of a two sisters, leeks I mulch with straw, lettuce I grow pretty tight together so you only have to pull a few weeds around the outside of them.

Sharpen up the cutting edge of your hoe with a file, it will make weeding a bit easier

I am mulching mostly with grass clippings. They look like straw once they dry off. Very good at suppressing weeds and conserving moisture.

For weeding, I love my L-shaped patio weeder: http://outdoorlearning.bevandesign.c.../weeder_sm.jpg

It was from the Poundstretcher, but I've just upgraded to a Spear & Jackson (it was in the sale)

__________________
~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Thank you everbody. I'm sure with all the downpours forecast your suggestions will becoming to good use .