Team Hand Weed

No doubt about it, Team Hand Weed" here, about 80% of the time (with my Atlas Nytril gloves on).

The other 20% is my tiny LadyGardener hand shovel, when I'm digging out those pesky maple, elm, mulberry and canadian thistle seedlings.

Hand weed (but getting smarter), shoes on outside (gravel driveway) and gloves only when I remember (seldom).

Nice change to Home Base (page).

Mostly hand weeding here, but I keep my tools handy in case I run across stubborn ones.
I wonder if there are people in China complaining about the roots of their weeds going all the way to America?

Weeding is really a matter of attitude. I prefer to look at weeds as companion plants. For example, I have two rows of purple hull peas which will be ready to pick this week. They really look pretty because I've removed their companion plants using a mower and weedeater on the outside (high beds) and the two finger foxtrot on the rest. The problem is if they look good to me I can only imagine what they look like to the two deer that visit my garden on a regular basis. I don't mind sharing. If they'll let me pick the peas, I'll gladly let them have the vines; but I don't think that's the way it's going to work.




My only hope may be outside negotiation.

Is that the negotiator? He looks very sweet and friendly

I am on both teams. When it's just a few, I like the satisfaction of pulling them. I work as a gardener/landscaper, and while doing maintenance, it depends on the volume of weeds I'm dealing with.
I don't mind weeding, it gives a sense of satisfaction when you look back at a weed free bed. Also job security.

Hand weeding 99% is the way for me.

I love to walk through the yard and weed as I walk. I usually do this in the morning as I am drinking my coffee. I often set the coffee down and get involved in weeding (by hand).

On occassion the weeds get ahead of my ritual and I have to give in to just concentrating on weeding an area. I use my hands unless there is a clump that won't come up for me, then I get a spade after it.

I mulch, mulch, mulch, so that keeps the weeds in control most of the time. I live 10 minutes from the waste/conservation site and get a truck load of great mulch for $15. It makes it seem crazy not to mulch all things that I can. They also sell a truck load of compost for $20 that is even better than the mushroom compost I used to get in TX.

The combination of good compost and then mulch on top seems to help a lot with weed control. Then of course you never really WIN the battle, you just get an edge on the enemy.

95% hand weeding. Mulch really controls the weeds but most of the ones that get through pull up easily. When I need a tool to help a dandelion digger is my favorite.

Hi Maridell,

As long as I keep the dog biscuits coming, Jack is a friendly dog, but he stays inside most of the time.

If anyone has a problem with deer, I may have stumbled on something by accident. Several years ago I made a shadecloth using a lightweight nylon fabric (closeout from Hancock Fabrics = cheap) and had a lady put denim ties on it for me. I've been using it to prevent sunscald on my tomatoes when the 100 degree days arrive. It works great. This year I planted late squash for the first time and the heat was stressing the vines pretty bad so last week I moved the shadecloth from my petered-out tomatoes to my squash. I didn't bother putting any support in the middle until I could see how well it worked. It works fine, no leaf wilt even on the hottest days, but even a slight breeze causes the unused ties to flap and the shadecloth to billow. A little stronger breeze causes it to make a flapping noise and the ties to make a popping sound. I haven't seen the deer since I put it in place. Maybe I'll have peas to go with my fried squash. If it keeps the deer away, I think I'll call it a Shoo-fly.

Probably 99% hand weed here....unless you count Roundup (I know, gasp! nasty stuff! but where we live sometimes it's the only option ). Since most of my plants are in containers....LOTS of containers! ... tools, except for a small, narrow trowel, aren't very useful.

We don't have a problem with deer, although our neighbors do. Of course this might be because we have goats (competition) and an aging wolf-doggie who lives in a huge kennel inside my garden. She has been a really good coyote and cougar deterrent, too!

omg, what a GORGEOUS doggie!! *swoon*

She's one of the reasons my garden is where it is. The garden wraps around her kennel (30x50 ft) and provides a 10 to 18 foot buffer zone between her and the goats. You wouldn't believe how clever she is about dragging stuff through the chain link fence! But between the weeds that grow in her kennel and the ones in the fields beyond, keeping ahead of them is a major challenge! Which is why I sometimes have to resort to Roundup.

saltmarsh, your canopy is a very clever idea...and sound effects to boot!

Like the shade idea. Love the dog.

Aww, what a sweet, pretty girl your wolf-doggie is!

I finally made it! I've been trying to post here for two days straight, but other aspects of my life kept intervening. I'm basically a hand weeder, but carry some small (not nearly on the scale of Daves!) tools with me as I go. One gets to know weeds intimately when one is down on one's knees pulling them one by one. I know exactly which weeds will pull easily and which ones need a bit of persuasion from my tools. Basically, I carry with me a special trowel and a an ordinarily hand weeder (see below). The hand weeder is for smaller weeds and tight places, the trowel is for larger ones. I like this particular trowel because it is serrated on the sides, so I can saw right through tough roots, even if they're half an inch thick. It also has a ruler on its face, so that I can measure the depth of a hole when I plant something.

I used to weed without gloves, but since nitrile gloves came along, I've been wearing those. Weeding between low-growing cactus plants calls for heavy rubber gloves that extend halfway up my arm. They also come in handy for groping around in the mud and trimming roses.

Hand weeder mostly but I LUV my little hoe for chickweed patches and I pull out the big gun herbicides for the giant invasive weeds (creeping bellflower and thistles) in the lane of doom.

Larry, can you please share what the brand name is of that trowel with the serrated edge? That sounds like something I'd make good use of. Thanks!

In our controlled chaos, with a dicey neck/back, I use hands when the weeks are large

This was growing thru a Brugmansia and I kept meaning to pull it. Bob is 6'2" so it gives you an idea of the height of the weed.

My favorite tool for getting out the wee creeping weeds is an old dinner fork. Held in my right hand like a scoop it gets UNDER the weed and grabs the roots. When my thumb gets tired I quit. Mimosa pudica is rampant here (Sensitive grass) and as they are covered with thorns, I pull them out with a pair of pliers.

I too have to resort to RoundUp maybe once a year (or twice ) with all the area we have. I sprinkle Ronstar, a pre emergent, which keeps them at bay for about 8 months... I am trying to plant coleus and impatiens in the open areas to keep the weeds down.

Weeds are simply plants I haven't killed yet!