The Iowa Gardener: Where the wild things are

Most gardeners aim for a well-maintained landscape, but trying to control weeds this time of year can feel like a never-ending struggle.

Weeds not only detract from the aesthetics of your garden but also compete with your cherished plants for essential nutrients, water and sunlight. To maintain a healthy and flourishing garden, you will need to implement some thoughtful weed control strategies.

Here's how to reclaim your garden from the clutches of unwanted vegetation, with a focus on organic methods.

Know thy enemy

The first step in controlling weeds is to identify common culprits in your garden. Familiarize yourself with the appearance and characteristics of prevalent weeds in your garden so that you better know how to get rid of them. For example, you shouldn't chop up purslane when hoeing it because each little piece can regenerate and grow dozens more. Pull it or hoe it out carefully.

Prevention is always better than cure

Take steps to prevent weeds and you'll spend far less time controlling them. Mulch anywhere there is bare soil to suppress weeds. And never, if you can help it, never let them get large enough to flower or set seed.

Nab weeds early

It's far easier and better for your garden if you get weeds while they are small. It takes just minutes to swipe an outbreak of tiny weeds with your hoe or weeder. It can take an hour two months later, when they're waist high, to pull them all out.

Help desired plants out compete the weeds

Maintaining healthy and robust plants can shade out weed seedlings and reduce the available resources for weed growth. Do your best to ensure your garden receives adequate water and appropriate fertilization, promoting vigorous growth in desired plants.

Weed smart

Weeds are always easier and better to remove after a rain or after a good watering so you can get the roots and all so they don't simply grow right back. Invest in a good garden weeding tool or two. It can save you many, many hours over the years.

Experiment with solarization

For larger areas, try this eco-friendly technique that uses the sun’s heat to eradicate weeds and pathogens from the soil. Cover the infested area with a transparent plastic sheet, which traps solar energy and raises soil temperatures to lethal levels for weed seeds and seedlings. The process typically takes four to six weeks during the peak summer months when the sun’s intensity is at its highest.

Move things around

Crop rotation is a traditional agricultural practice that can also aid in weed control. By rotating crops each season, you disrupt the life cycle of weeds that specifically target certain plant species. This reduces the chances of weed buildup in the soil and helps maintain its fertility.

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed with all your weeds, keep in mind that a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. I’ve yanked volunteer tomatoes out of flower beds and volunteer wildflowers out of my vegetable garden. It’s all very subjective and rather silly if you think about it.

Also keep in mind that weeds have decided benefits. They are appreciated by wildlife, including pollinators. Recently, I’ve started to welcome milkweed volunteers in my garden since monarch butterfly larvae thrive on those. Bees thrive on dandelions and chickweed. Weeds also can provide important cover for a wide variety of wildlife.

The bottom line? Embrace the pleasures of your garden, warts and weeds and all.

Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of the Iowa Gardener website at www.theiowagardener.com.