How to Clear Weeds to Make a Flower Bed

Clearing weeds before planting your garden will minimize germination and the growth of harmful plants.

Though some weeds serve as nutrient-rich compost for other plants, they can quickly become unruly and overwhelm your flower garden. If left unchecked, weeds can become invasive, stealing sunlight, water and minerals from other plants. Moreover, they might also contain insects or diseases that can harm your flowers. Clearing weeds prior to planting your flower garden and taking measures to prevent weeds from returning will help your garden flourish and reduce your workload in the long run.

Things You'll Need

• Spade, hoe or rototiller
• Organic mulch (compost, dry grass clippings, bark, etc.)

Instructions

1. Clear the soil of all grass and plants before planting your flower plants. Use your hands to pull and dig out weeds if working with a small garden. Consider working with a manual or automated rotary cultivator, or rototiller, which lifts and turns soil quicker on larger plots. Make sure the soil is moist and not too dry when using a rototiller. This prevents damage to nearby plants and the soil's structure.

2. Turn the soil gently using a spade or hoe to uncover hidden roots you may have missed. Observe whether any weeds appear over the next three to four days. Turn the soil again to uncover the roots of unwanted weeds, which will expose the roots to the sunlight. This will not only deprive the weeds of water and nutrients, but also make them easier to remove.

3. Spread three to four inches of organic mulch over your bed to give your flower garden a cleaner appearance and help prevent future weed growth. Use organic matter including pine needles, sphagnum peat moss, chopped leaves, wood chips and shredded bark to cover the surface of the soil. Dig only the part of the bed where you plan to add flower seeds or bulbs to preserve the layer of mulch and prevent the germination of weed seeds.

Tips & Warnings

• Although weeds are commonly blamed for damaging plants and flowers, some weeds actually benefit gardens. Plants such as Venice mallow and thistles have seeds to help plants flower. Some weeds also serve as homes for insects that prey on garden pests, including bees and praying mantises.

• Removing weeds can be hard work. Working in damp soil following recent rains or irrigation makes it easier to pull weeds from their roots, rather than snapping them off from the stem.

• Avoid using herbicides, or weed killers, to eliminate weeds. These are toxic and contribute to pollution in the soil and atmosphere.

References

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Organic mulch; David J. Williams
• University of Arizona: Vegetable garden
• Yardener: Controlling annual weeds in flower garden
• Texas A&M University: A guide to Louisiana friendly landscaping