Gardening Matters || Weeds are always out there sprouting and growing

Over the 2020-2021 summer, we have seen a return to the more regular rain falls that were once common in the region at this time of year. Most lawns and paddocks are lush and green, water features and dams are full, and gardens generally are looking great.

Of course, with a great season of growing, so too, do the weeds!

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No matter what kind of garden you have, you'll be a happier gardener if you just accept that the weeds are always out there sprouting and growing and that weeding is something you will always be doing. So, make the best of weeding, embrace it, use the bet equipment and have some fun while you are doing it.

Making weeding a part of your garden routine by planning to spend some time every few days weeding, even as little as 15 - 30 minutes, will make a difference. If your garden happens to be more weeds than other plants at the moment, you will have to make a concerted effort initially to get rid of the weeds and get things back under control before spending just a little time each day or two weeding.

It is worth getting to know your weeds, especially in their juvenile forms. It will make life easier by being able to eliminate them when they are still very small and will also help in identifying and keeping the seedlings of any favoured plants that have self-sown.

If you know which weeds are annuals, you'll know to pull those out before they set seed. For perennial weeds, you should try to get as much of the root as possible. And don't let the perennial weeds set seed either. In fact, don't let any weeds set seed if you can help it.

There are many kinds of weeding tools; long and short handled. Long handled tools include various types of forks and hoes as well as more recent innovations that remove the weed with a twisting motion and there are many, many types of hand tools.

Some are more useful than others and it is worth trying some of them to see which ones work best for you. When you find a weeding tool that you really like, guard it with your life!

A good pair of gloves and perhaps a kneeling pad are also useful to have as part of your tool arsenal.

Most important is to try to do small amounts of weeding regularly, and each time you finish weeding a garden bed to admire your work and congratulate yourself!