With spring underway and summer right around the corner, there is one thing growing in every garden, WEEDS. It’s a battle all gardeners face at some point. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

There have been days when I have gone through my garden picking weeds only to turn around and see more. It’s like they are growing as fast as I pick them! As frustrating as weeding is, the pleasure of seeing a well weeded garden or flower bed can be really rewarding.

When weeding my vegetable plots I usually pick the weeds by hand or use a small hoe to cultivate around my plants. Occasionally I will use a small spade to get under the weeds and lift them out.

When it comes to weed control in areas where I do not have plants, like sidewalks, curbs, and non-planted mulch areas I resort to a Homemade Weed Killer.

The ingredients for this Homemade Weed Killer are really simple:
1 or 1-1/2 gallons Distilled White Vinegar
1/8 cup salt (approximate, I just pour)
1/4 cup liquid dish soap

I mix all of the ingredients together in a pump sprayer.

Then, using the sprayer, I apply the solution to the weeds. I found that this solution is really effective if it is applied early in the day on a sunny day.

This is not a selective weed killer. If you spray a plant or grass, it will die, so try to be really careful. Another point to note is that rain will wash this solution off the plants, so if it rains the same day you spray, you will need to respray.

I also found this solution works best if it is applied about once a week or so.

If you have old sidewalks, chances are you have weeds growing in between the cracks. I found that a simple tile cutting tool, works great for removing the weeds from the cracks. The tile cutting tool is a fairly inexpensive tool that can be purchased at any building supply store.

If we choose to garden, we also choose to fight the weeds. So don’t get discouraged by the constant battle, just keep fighting.

Happy Growing….(not the weeds)