This “secret” is the reason I’ve been able to have relatively weed free flower borders all around our ranch-turned-cottage – and it’s no longer a secret because it’s so wonderful I want to tell everyone about it!
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I thought I’d share with you the method for creating a season- long weed free flower border that has made my gardening life so much easier for me since I started it a number of years ago. It’s seriously the reason I’m able to have our cottage surrounded by pretty beds and I want you to be able to have this, too.
This technique will allow you to do basic weeding at the beginning of the season and then nothing more than pulling a stray blown-in weed here and there throughout the following months. As you repeat the process every spring, you’ll notice fewer and fewer weeds every year.
Sometimes I’m only able to get to it every other year, but if I did it regularly, it would be even better with less weeds – but, darn, life sometimes interrupts my garden time.
And let me tell you, I’ve discovered EVERYTHING was easier on my 50′ x 100′ city lot. Sometimes I wish for those manageable borders….then I look at my view and relish the quiet.
And get back to work.
The Secret to A Weed Free Flower Border
Left side of front door border.
First a little Tour to Show You Our Flower Borders Mid-June
This tour will help you understand what I’m talking about – weeds being kept down even through following years – and to see if you can guess the secret.
Above is a before picture of one side of the perennial and shrub border that leads to the front door.
Side note: I was determined not to have so much flower maintenance at this house – I wanted my time spent on food production – but I had to deal with what I’d inherited. And my plant lust. But that’s another story.
Anyway, the front border is divided with the path to the door. This is the left side after having been weeded 2-3 times already in spring, but not getting the “treatment” after weeding (for lack of time). As you can see, there are weeds – and these have come back within DAYS. It’s quite frustrating.
Other side note: Don’t mind the leaning tower of Dame’s Rocket – I haven’t cut it back yet, nor staked it, because, well, I don’t stake things. I’m awful that way. I should learn not to grow things that need staking.
Right side of front door border.
Above is the right side of the front border with the portion right of the path (recycled concrete chunks from our old driveway) with it’s weed free method completed and topped with mulch. There might be a few little weeds that come up on the edges (like the dandelion seen in the foreground), but they’re easy to pull.
I always use a garden compost (purchased from a landscape center – homemade compost is always too full of weeds to act like a mulch), not bark chips for our topping in flower beds. It feeds the soil and, most importantly, I like how it looks. It’s nice and dark like fine soil – not all orange like bark.
Circular front flower border.
Moving around to another portion of the front bed in front of the french doors. This bed was made weed free about 1-1/2 months ago and you can see they are very few weeds.
Typically weeds will come up at the edges and around the bases of plants (so much for “shadowing out the weeds” – that’s never really worked for me), but I just pull them as I’m out watering, or trimming. It’s never an hours-long job.
Back fence flower border.
The backyard border along the fence before. I haven’t mulched this in a couple years, and it’s bad, really bad. The backyard is always the last to get tidied up, and well, this has missed out for awhile.
We had started the process, though, during these photos.
Mulched back fence border.
Above you can see the part we finished – plants trimmed, weeds gone and mulch applied.
One more side note: Please ignore the brown grass. I try to keep it watered, really.
Above shows where we ran out of mulch and had to stop our method. It will look much nicer when complete, obviously (you can check out the full yard and garden tour of our cottage here to see).
Okay, here’s finally the reveal – have you guessed what the method is to having almost weed-free beds?
Here’s the secret: Newspaper!
Seriously, it makes ALL the difference. Here’s how to do it:
- Weed once in the spring (hopefully – you can see from the first photo what happens if you weed and don’t do the remaining steps – you get more weeds within days).
- If your ground isn’t moist, water well before proceeding.
- Lay a thick layer of newspaper (I like to use whole sections, unopened, if I don’t have enough, I try to go at least 3-4 paper layers worth). If there’s wind, use a hose to wet the paper while you finish an area. You can also use brown paper grocery bags or pieces of cardboard, too, though cardboard is best for areas you won’t be planting in or where plants won’t be coming up. Cardboard lasts longer, too, so it is good for areas like that.
- Lay soaker hoses over the paper (it’s the best way to water deeply).
- Cover the paper and hoses with 2-4 inches of mulch. Again, I like garden compost, but you can use wood chips, bark, pine needles, or whatever is appropriate for your area.
You can also watch this video tutorial for more explanation.
Once you complete the five steps, you won’t have to weed again for the entire season, other than pulling a stray weed here and there. I kid you not- it really works!
I started doing this (and no-till beds) after reading Lee Reich’s book, Weedless Gardening and I’d highly recommend it to everyone who doesn’t want to spend hours weeding only to turn around a few weeks later and have to do it all again.
If I did this every year like I’m supposed to, I wouldn’t even have the before pictures to show you. The weeds that are able to take root are less and less each year.
AND you’re feeding your soil and creating a layer to help keep moisture in at the same time.
This is a win-win situation!
Anyone else practicing this technique? I’d love to hear your weed-beating strategies!
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Heather says
Hi Jami, I’ve always wanted to use everyday plastics (that can’t be recycled & would otherwise pile up in a landfill) to essentially do the same thing. Newspaper sounds like it would break down/ disintegrate too easily but I’m happy to hear it’s a great & easily accessible alternative! Wow! My flowerbeds are much smaller than yours so I’ve never used a soaker hose. Is it okay to just use the sprinkler during the day &/ or provide an evening drink with the garden hose in lieu of using a soaker? I apologize that my knowledge is limited but need to know whether the soaker hose is a matter of convenience for larger garden spaces or a necessity to utilize when starting this process. Thanks again for sharing this great gardening tip!
Jami says
The soakers are used for multiple reasons: they water right where the plant needs it and deeply, they don’t sprinkle everywhere which encourages weeds to grow in the mulch, and they water much more consistently than hand watering. I recommend them (or a drip system) for any size garden bed, but it’s totally up to you. 🙂
Amy says
Hi Jami!
Such great tips, I’m getting ready to try this. Will seasonal planted flowers still be able to grow up through this or should I not do this in areas where those are planted?
Jami says
I just lay the paper and mulch all around seasonal plants, Amy. If you’re talking about bulbs that come up in the spring, if you lay the paper now, it will be soft enough to come through next year, so go ahead and get those borders weed free!
Susan says
I do this everywhere and no weeds!!! Thanks for publishing
Jami says
Yay!!
Anna says
Hi Jami, first off let me say I LOVE your blog. In fact, one blog seems to lead to another and I seem to be in blog heaven at the moment.
I live in the French Alps so of course timings for plantings etc are way different (I guess that’s true for us all of course). But I have a question for you, when you use newspaper do you use any old newspaper – or something classy like “The Times” (just kidding)! But seriously, do you use standard newspaper ONLY. I ask because I have a vague feeling that advertising flyers (with the glossy covering etc) are NOT suitable for this purpose. Indeed I seem to think I read somewhere that the chemicals used to give them this sheen are not good for the garden. I may have dreamt it but wondered if you knew. Likewise for cardboard – standard brown boxes or the glossy cornflakes boxes etc. I kinda like the idea of using up everything though. I currently have my living room covered in sawn-off plastic milk bottles (one litre), full of soil and poking out with seedlings. Lovely. Anyway, keep up the good work. Anna
Anna says
Wow who would have guess that the question before mine would answer my question. Sorry, must have missed it. Anyway, off to bed now (midnight here) so will check in again tomorrow. A
Jami says
Thank you, Anna! I just flew over the French Alps last week on our way home from Greece. 🙂 As you saw, I don’t use the shiny inserts – I also only use brown cardboard (it’s okay if it has some writing) – not cereal boxes or coated, colored cardboard. I just want to keep things as close to nature as I can – I don’t know any science behind it. 🙂
Lisa says
I very much enjoy your blog and have tried many of your awesome recipes! I would like to try the newspaper weed barrier idea, but our local newspaper uses a LOT of colored ink. Do you know if colored ink will harm plants? Thank you for your help!
Jami says
I’ve never read anything that says that it will, Lisa. I just avoid the shiny advertising inserts, but there’s colored ink on the regular pages, too, and my plants are all doing fine. 🙂 So glad to know you are enjoying the recipes, too!
Anonymous says
Stumbled on your site while looking for ways to keep weeds out of the cracks between the patio pavers.
We’ve been using the cardboard covered with composted soil technique for several years now and it’s been a God send. Your photos could have come from our yard.
Having said all that. I must admit that my wife is the main architect and construction manager of all things garden. I help with the heavy lifting and quietly observe.
Sarah says
We just tried this this year, and I am loving it! what weeds we do have are so much easier to pull because they can’t get a good “hold” and they just come right out.
Heather says
What a great idea! We have a few beds that could really benefit from this idea. I love learning new tips.
I’m here from Gayle’s blog and am tickled to have been selected as well! Such fun 🙂
Heather
Kathy says
Ooooh! Good idea! I think I shall employ this directly! Thanks!
Farmgirl Cyn says
Geez-Louize…Where the heck were you a few weeks ago when I spent hours/no, days, weeding my gardens….only to find a week later that it looked nearly as bad as when I started!!!
I am going to get on this asap!