My flower beds runalong the sides of a narrow long deep [50x300] property. The beds are about 10' deep. Weeds are hard to control. I end up stepping on the smaller plants while i'm pulling weeds. My solution is putting down stepping stone paths to give me enough room to weed. The downside is it's a lot of work and it's getting expensive. What do others do to control weeds? I use mulch but it's not enough. One nice thing is the step stone looks good and provides walking paths. Here's some pics.

Plant ground cover plants to crowd out any weed growth.
Using preen will prevent weeds seeds in early spring before they germinate.
Place cardboard down over stepping stone paths in winter blocking light, weed seeds cannot germinate.
Spot spray with organic weed killer.
Lay cardboard in and around the perimeter that weeds creep in all around the flower bed perimeter.
When all else fails remember weeds are in a magical place that you have created for flowers and garden plants by the water full of nutrients for all plants. Luv the area very nice.
Another weed blocking technique is block the perimeter from encroaching in the flower beds with hay, chips, dried mulched leaves or mowed cut grass. Anything to block light and water.
Weed block fabric works for a few seasons until weed seeds invade the top layer over the weed block and eventually set up another weed bed on the weed fabric.
Weekly hoeing the weed areas or use a small light weight battery op tiller in areas to prevent roots from taking hold.
A weed wacker can cut tall weeds down and then spot spray with organic weed solution.

Thanks Bea that's a lot of info. I'll try some of those techniques. I've been pulling the weeds out by hand and its overwhelming. I originally thought that if i planted enough it would give the weeds no room to grow. Now i realize that's impossible. To made it worse my neighbor who's moving has bamboo running rampant and it keeps popping up in my yard. It's really hard to pull.

I control most weeds by putting down a 2-3" layer of mulch. I freshen it every Spring.
When weeds get the upper hand, I use Round up. It is very effective for me and I have great success.
The third thing I do is just pull a few weeds here and there.

But controlling weeds is a time consuming problem. Lots of time I feel good if I just stay even. But if I sit back and relax, things quickly get out of hand. So to be perfectly honest, there isn't a magic bullet, a quick fix, a cure. Gardening can be a chore. Weeds are just a part of the puzzle.

One other suggestion. Don't plant things too close together. In this way I can access so many weeds by standing on the wood chips.

weeds seem to sprout over night. my plot isn't as big-I'd say 65 by 111 but nonetheless it's a chore to weed. Certain areas get weedy faster than others so I try to check those areas daily. I like the idea of stepping stones to create a walkable path. I'm still tip-toeing thru the beds as gingerly as possible.

Really depends on what you are calling "weeds".

There are a very few plants that are "pull on sight"... I'm thinking especially of a couple of so-called "nursery weeds" chamberbitter and mulberryweed, that start producing seed practically from the minute they germinate!

There are far more plants that I prefer to get large enough to be worth pulling... either to provide chicken food, or just to add bulk to the compost. With this approach, I can wait for a decent soaking rain to loosen the roots... and... then it makes a noticeable difference when they're removed.

Kind of pointless to be out there trying to pull weeds with a tweezers!

About 95% of my weeds here consist of the same things year after year, a thistle of some kind, Queens Anne's Lace seedlings, random sprigs of grass and an unknown broadleaf weed which pulls very easily.
My soil is regularly tilled in my 9 large containers so weed pulling there is easy and the flower beds, 4' wide by 70 linear feet are chipped.
Whether the soil is chipped or tilled, weeds can't really get a good hold.

Wouldn't a gardeners life be so much simpler without weeds???

Read this yesterday, thought it was very apropos!

Perennial Treachery: Betrayed by Garden Plants!
SCOTT BEUERLEINJUN 7, 2022
Of all the rotten things in the world, the most appalling is betrayal. Who are history's most loathsome people? The treasonous! Judas, Brutus and Benedict Arnold.

Irises—so pretty until a closer look reveals the weeds they're wont to shelter.
Irises—so pretty until a closer look reveals the weeds they're wont to shelter.
Recently, I discovered that many of my perennials have been traitors. They have aided and abetted my worst enemies—such vile foes as sorrel, chickweed, annual bluegrass, crabgrass and other weeds I cannot name but loathe. You know them. That filthy ilk.

I have long been aware, of course, that certain perennials are unapologetic weed enablers. Iris, for instance. They're like the Mae West of plants. So openly and eagerly do they invite the rabble in that it's almost cute. Among their shoots they will present to you anything from barnyard grass to silver maples to Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' seedlings. They do this about the same way your cat presents you with a dead mouse.

We have to assume, then, that iris mean well. They're just kind of weird and dumb. Like cats. Likewise their relatives crocosmia and candy lilies. Or almost any of the sedges.

The weeds these perennials harbor are weeds you can pull, at least. (Someday. When your back doesn't hurt too much. And when it's not too hot out. And maybe after you've had that second cup of coffee. Yeah, on that day, you can bend over and pull the little bastard!)

I'm not nearly as forgiving of certain other perennials—former favorites that, it turns out, have been dirty, stinking rats. Corydalis and columbines. Look beneath them: Every weed you can imagine! Hostas host all the worst offenders. And Geranium 'Rozanne'? Oh, how I love her, but beneath her skirt she gives refuge to every sorrel under the sun! And spurge. And others. All of them setting seed.

This sad revelation has changed me. I used to take some pride in being a relatively nice guy. Now I'm like Darth Vader in one of the episodes where there is absolutely no chance he'll do anything redemptive. I whisk about my yard, angry and paranoid, obsessively lifting shoots, cussing and laying waste to ruffians. There's a walking path right across the street, with lots of people coming and going. My wife is mortified. Me? After my energy is spent, I feel only shame.

I know that some of you will suggest I try mulching. Others will argue for use of a pre-emergent herbicide. But I'm stubborn. And I'm stupid. And I like it when some of my plants can at least dream of having children of their own. Moreover, there has never been a moment in my life when any of the worst vices on Earth didn't seem a more constructive pursuit than carting heavy, steaming, stinking, fermenting bark around the yard.

So here I am. Stuck. This is my bitter fate. I am a monster who mortifies his sweet, sweet wife. Set in his ways. Obsessed with 'Rozanne's' comeliness, and then with her indiscretions. Just another lost soul of a gardener down in the gutter, destined to pull weeds. Forever.

BigBill said: I control most weeds by putting down a 2-3" layer of mulch. I freshen it every Spring.
When weeds get the upper hand, I use Round up. It is very effective for me and I have great success.
The third thing I do is just pull a few weeds here and there. But controlling weeds is a time consuming problem. Lots of time I feel good if I just stay even. But if I sit back and relax, things quickly get out of hand. So to be perfectly honest, there isn't a magic bullet, a quick fix, a cure. Gardening can be a chore. Weeds are just a part of the puzzle.

One other suggestion. Don't plant things too close together. In this way I can access so many weeds by standing on the wood chips.

Great advice Bill. I think my biggest mistake is trying not to use any chemicals and pulling all the weeds by hand. That and letting some areas get overgrown to the point it's almost impossible to correct. I figure the step stones will lessen the square footage i have to weed but more importantly will keep me from stepping on my short lilies.

Oh I hope that I helped.
I am a Long Island native myself. Uniondale/Lynbrook through 2008.
Good luck.

The stone pads look so great after weeds have been removed but they do return. I've done wide cardboard paths but now they have to be done again.

I have my gardening guys use Preen Extended Care in early April and that's a huge help. I wish you patience and good luck.

BigBill said: Oh I hope that I helped.
I am a Long Island native myself. Uniondale/Lynbrook through 2008.
Good luck.

Very helpful, thank you for the advice. I see your an orchid and bird guy. Im in Lindenhurst on LI and have a very small woods bordering my property. I've seen some lovely birds including a bunch of Cardinal's, wood peckers, an egret, falcon and some ducks. There's a small brilliant all yellow bird that's just stunning, have no idea what it is. I've only spotted him a few times. Every time i take out the camera he fly's away. I'll post the pic if i ever catch him on camera.

Check on Goldfinch or Yellow Warbler.

jpm995 said: My flower beds runalong the sides of a narrow long deep [50x300] property. The beds are about 10' deep. Weeds are hard to control. I end up stepping on the smaller plants while i'm pulling weeds. My solution is putting down stepping stone paths to give me enough room to weed. The downside is it's a lot of work and it's getting expensive. What do others do to control weeds? I use mulch but it's not enough. One nice thing is the step stone looks good and provides walking paths. Here's some pics.

Get a systemic weed killer, NOT , a vegetation killer, and use a paint brush to just brush the tops of the weeds; you will not get them all but they will be fewer and you can go back and get them all over time.

Putting stepping stones in your flower beds is not a good idea. The stones do not support any plant life, and so the roots of the plants can't grow into the ground. This will make plants wilt and die quickly. You should consider removing the stones. Also, I know that the weeds will come back as soon as you remove them. Weed is the most common problem that homeowners face. It can only be avoided through regular property maintenance like planting, weeding, mulching, etc. There are two types of weeds that you need to control. The first are the deep-rooted perennial weeds, and the second are the annual weeds. A good way to control perennial weeds is to use fertiliser and regular property maintenance.
 

You use fertilizer to control weeds? Is that really something like Weed & feed which is weed control with fertilizer to help the other things to grow?
I think stepping stones in a garden is a good idea. They provide a place to walk in order to gain access to places in the garden that allow you to control weeds. Then they provide safe access for tilling and cultivating.
I used Round-Up this year and it provided me with excellent weed control. I was able to control a few very obnoxious weeds and reclaim an 8' x 8' rock garden.

the weeds I really don't like are the sneaky ones. they grow at the base of the plant and almost look like they're part of the plant but look again-they aren't. camouflage! I get the same undesirable pop ups every year. Crab grass, chickweed, and lots of unknown stuff I don't want. maybe wild lettuce and mulberry seedlings which are a pain in the ass to remove. I have used PREEN and it works just didn't use it this year. My bad.

My favorite is Preen Extended Control.

I do use stepping stones in the garden. They give me somewhere to stand as I tend the garden.

How would stepping stones make plants wilt and die? I've never heard of this before.

purpleinopp said: How would stepping stones make plants wilt and die? I've never heard of this before.

Agree.
Stepping stones are good. Mulch is great. Get weeds pulled before any seed can drop. Do not turn up new soil and leave it exposed.

That article, cute but.. hosta? Solid light blocking ring of leaves, cannot imagine any hosta fostering weeds, mine sure does not.

Keep at it, I like the look so far!