A true garden aficionado must know that cultivation or weeding is required for growth control. Weeds are your garden's most persistent and cloying enemy. You need to be able to know how to handle weeds in order to foster growth in your organic garden. If you let weeds take over, they will completely obliterate your capacity to yield a rich number of vegetables.
Image via WikipediaWeeds are the number one stealer of nutrients, sunlight and revenue for farmers, so the earlier you try to eliminate them, the better will it be for your gardening. This can certainly eat up your time in certain seasons, depending on the size of your garden, but monitoring weeds and eliminating them is definitely worth your time and effort.
Weeds are usually much harder to remove when they have matured. So your best plan of attack will be to monitor your garden closely, and eliminate them at first sight. Cultivating your soil regularly in the garden will help eliminate the younger weeds. Once you let those young weeds take hold and become firmly established in the garden, it will become a more herculean task to try to remove them.
Seasons also affect the appearance of weeds. Warm-season and cool-season weeds proliferate at different times of the year, and it will be your advantage to recognize which weeds are in season so you can more easily expect them in your garden and prepare your anti-weed arsenal more effectively. Some of the weed seeds may also lie in your garden for a while before germinating, so make sure that you are able to cultivate your soil properly to prevent them from ever taking root and sprouting up.
Make sure that your garden space is filled up with the good stuff - the things YOU want planted there. If you leave any portion idle or bare, the weeds are more likely to secure that area for their growth. If you are unable to fill the entire area with desired plants, you may want to consider planting a ground cover crop to keep the weeds from invading your plant territory. (This can also be a great fertilizer later, as you can till the ground cover in at the end of the season, to provide extra nutrients for next year's garden.)
In the case where weeds have already grown large by the time you discovered them, chopping them off from the ground may be the most efficient way to remove them. Some of these weeds however may have deep roots, and will continue to sprout up even after you cut them down. But repetitive cutting down of those weeds will help eliminate them for good after some time.
Image via WikipediaThe use of herbicides and pesticides is not advised, and should not be necessary when you are able to do good cultivation of your land. The pesticides and herbicides, especially the commercially available ones, may prove to have other harmful effects. They may also pose as a threat to other useful organisms living in your garden, so they are not a viable option for organic and sustainable gardening.
Mulching and composting are other great ways to help maintain the soil and ward off the weeds. Ultimately, you should not encounter huge problems in weed management if you are able to keep them from gaining a foot hold in your garden in the first place.
If you are really consistent in cultivating your space, and eliminating weeds at their first sign, you will have taken a big step towards making the most out of your organic vegetable garden.
More Organic Gardening Resources:
Image via WikipediaAs a result, not many folks are willing to do it on a serious level. In fact, you may have entertained the thought of having your own organic vegetable garden for years, but have been put off by the amount of work involved to maintain it.
Image via WikipediaWeeds are the number one stealer of nutrients, sunlight and revenue for farmers, so the earlier you try to eliminate them, the better will it be for your gardening. This can certainly eat up your time in certain seasons, depending on the size of your garden, but monitoring weeds and eliminating them is definitely worth your time and effort. 
Image via WikipediaThe use of herbicides and pesticides is not advised, and should not be necessary when you are able to do good cultivation of your land. The pesticides and herbicides, especially the commercially available ones, may prove to have other harmful effects. They may also pose as a threat to other useful organisms living in your garden, so they are not a viable option for organic and sustainable gardening.
Image via WikipediaOne way to minimize your exposure to mosquitoes is by minimizing their ability to procreate. They must lay eggs in still water in order to breed and you can remove as many sources of potential breeding ground as possible by keeping your lawn and summer garden area free of any debris that will allow even a minimal amount of standing water to collect after a rainfall. This means you must keep your gutters clean and free of debris, and make sure all cans and bottles are picked up and placed inside a garbage can that is lidded. Keep lids on garbage cans at all times, and change animal bowls daily.
Image via WikipediaPlant lemon thyme in your summer garden. If you crush the leaves it is believed to be an effective repellent for mosquitoes. Choosing this plant for your garden can help you naturally repel mosquitoes without smelling bad in the process, which is something that most rubs, sprays, and oils cannot always claim.
Image via WikipediaAs a child, I remember many summer afternoons sweating in the kitchen canning tomatoes, or making peach preserves. There were also many other vegetables we grew in our summer gardens that had to be picked and stored for winter, and I can't say I miss too much about those hot and sticky days! One thing though, has never gotten away from me and that is the deep and abiding love I have for the smell of freshly turned soil and the taste of vegetables fresh from the garden.
Image via WikipediaHaving a summer garden filled with vegetables is a satisfying pursuit in many ways. First of all you are producing something that is useful to you and your family. Second, you are providing a way for you and your family to enjoy the vegetables you love most throughout the year. Finally, you are able to produce vegetables that are fit for consumption and enjoyment at a much lower cost than you would pay for these vegetables at the local supermarket. This helps save money for some of the more important and more entertaining things most of us would like to do with our families.
Image via WikipediaSustainable gardening is becoming more and more popular these days, as we all start to realize just how responsible we are for this amazing planet we live on. Here are some really cool and interesting updates on the topic. Heck, even the USDA is pitching in! (Really?? I know - shocked me too....)
