Help Control Weeds in the Garden with Newspapers

Weeds can ruin a garden. It takes a lot of work to keep a garden naturally weed free. While relatively easy to control in the spring garden, weeds can take over in the summer months and stunt or even smother out desired plants. I don't like to use chemicals such as weed killers and germination preventers on the soil I use to grow food for my family and hours pulling weeds in the summer sun isn't much fun. A great natural tool to help discourage weeds is newspaper. Newspaper is an organic method to allow rain through while discouraging weed growth.

Apply

A layer of newspaper can inhibit weed seeds from germinating and help to smother most pernicious weeds from the garden. Place a thick layer of newspapers between the rows in your garden. Newsprint works best not the slicky advertisements which don't decompose as readily. Wet the paper down so it doesn't blow away. The paper will do best inhibiting seeds, existing weeds should be cultivated with a hoe before laying the paper down although smaller weeds will be smothered and it will help prevent larger weeds from returning. This method works well in perennial beds such as asparagus beds. If you don't care for the look of a newspaper covered garden the papers can be covered with mulch such as bark or grass clippings. Newspaper can also be used to make paths through the garden so when the ground is muddy you have a mud free place to walk. Make a path by laying out the newspaper in the desired location and covering with a mulch such as chipped bark.

Potatoes

I love fresh potatoes but hate the back breaking labor of digging the harvest. I like to plant my potatoes close to the surface in slightly raised rows. When the plants emerge I place a thick layer of newspaper between the rows and top with a layer of grass clippings. This allows the potatoes to grow close to the surface of the soil without the sun turning the legumes green and bitter. When ready to harvest or check the stage of growth you need only to pull the paper back and brush the soil away from the tubers.

No need to remove

When you are ready to put your garden to sleep for the winter season the paper may be left in place or tilled into the garden. I prefer to leave mine on the garden to start to decompose while helping to inhibit seeds from germinating in the late fall or early spring. When you are ready to cultivate the next season simply till the paper into the soil where it will finish decomposing and feed the garden which feeds you.