We have a raised garden that we use as a potager with vege and flowers. It has become full of weeds over winter. My husband has weeded it and dug all the weeds into soil instead of removing them. Will this smother them OK or will they just return? I think he thought the added fibre would be good etc.
dannydonut,
Oct 4, 6:16am
Depends on the type of weed, and whether it was seeding. If he has chopped up kikuyu you are in BIG trouble! It's probably ok if they are annual weeds that aren't seeding.
brightlights60,
Oct 4, 6:45am
I have been a gardener all my life. I have only heard of this practice once. Generally, you remove all weeds, so you don't "dig in" any undesirable weed roots or seeds. There are better things to dig in to replenish the soil than weeds. REally, you want to get rid of them, not use them for soil enriching!
dollydot,
Oct 4, 9:18am
It was mostly chickweed and grasses. Think I've convinced him that actually removing the weeds from the garden is the best approach. This is what we usually do so not sure this "shortcut" will be helpful. There are better things we can add to enrich the soil.
lythande1,
Oct 4, 7:20pm
Bad idea.
junie2,
Oct 5, 3:08am
I use everything in my garden for soil enrichment, except seeding weeds, convolvulus and oxalis. Nearly all green matter is good - adds nitrogen etc. Why would you throw it in the bin, and then go and buy what someone else has made from the same sort of stuff? ? The difference is that I don't actually dig in, ( haven't dug for 35 yrs.) but leave it on top and add other stuff continually. Google No-Dig gardens, Esther Deans, or Lasagne Gardening.
gilligee,
Oct 5, 4:05am
I agree with this, all good compost unless seeds and couch!
vickyh1,
Oct 5, 10:58pm
You might be able to sterilise the soil by covering it with black plastic and letting it get really hot like a compost heap. Turn it from time to time. It would take some weeks or months though I think.
samanya,
Oct 6, 12:20am
This.^^^ I've started new gardens with the Esther Dean method. There are a lot of variations on her original method now, but I always used Lucerne hay as the bottom layer (on top of the news papers) & the growth of leafy vegetables was fantastic.
poppysinger2,
Oct 6, 8:02am
Yes I too dug in my weeds as long as not couch grass or convolvulous or oxalis as it adds humus to the soil , I did this for years but actually now I tend to chop with the hoe and drop on the soil and it acts as a mulch as well. !
junie2,
Oct 6, 9:01am
Yep - I guess there will always be people who enjoy the act of digging, but I think there's plenty of evidence to support that it's not at all necessary, and in fact is beneficial. Using weeds, green or chopped and dried is simply putting back into the soil what you take out.
rita197,
Oct 7, 11:31pm
No matter now, just make sure you now put on some mulch such as peastraw on the garden after planting (to make sure those weeds dug in rot down). For a vege garden best to remove the weeds so the soil is easier to plant in.
dollydot,
Mar 12, 5:55pm
Thanks for all the great replies. Lets hope it provides some compost, next time though the weeds are coming out! rita the pea straw is a great idea. Will do that after planting.
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