For years, I've been applying myself to create a thriving food bowl
in my backyard,
and every week, without fail,
I've had to face that most perennial of gardening problems - weeds.
Weeds are plants that you don't want in your garden.
And, like most uninvited guests,
they tend to hang around too long.
Perhaps they arrived as seed blown in by the wind,
or perhaps dropped by birds.
Maybe you've even brought them in attached to your clothing.
Maybe a previous gardener has planted bulbs
and they're now sprouting for the very first time.
You might even have planted them yourself
and then discovered they're surrounded
by thousands of their own offspring.
Weeds compete for moisture, nutrients and sunlight,
and, left to their own devices,
they can swamp the plants that we want to grow.
In this bed, the spring onions are threatened
by a tiny little weed, hairy bittercress.
I hate this weed because it reproduces explosively,
and if I don't control it,
it'll take over my garden and it'll never look good.
I'm a big proponent of weeding by hand.
I find it creates opportunities to identify weeds
and distinguish them from some of the welcome self-sown vegetables
who may have found a home.
I use kitchen scissors to snip off weeds
without disturbing the soil surface,
and that means it discourages further weeds from germinating,
and it's really handy around things like my onions.
They really deserve it.
Sometimes the scale and size of the weeds
requires a bigger approach.
In these circumstances, I use a Dutch hoe.
It's a simple but effective tool
that works by severing weeds from their roots.
But if the soil is damp, don't hoe.
This chickweed is a classic example
of where hoeing while wet has spread it from one location to the next.
So remember, hoe when the soil is dry,
as it has less of a chance of re-rooting.
Hand-weeding is the opposite end of the scale.
Get in when it's slightly damp
and the roots pull easily.
But some weeds are tougher than they look.
Take a look at this. This is bulbous oxalis.
It was already present in my garden
when I moved in.
And while I've radically reduced the population over the years,
it's still a regular pest.
The tiny bulbs spread rapidly and fragment readily if disturbed,
meaning any attempts at removal
often lead to inadvertent propagation.
The bulbs can lay dormant for over three years,
so even mulching proves fruitless.
So when it comes to treating bulbous oxalis,
these are the methods that work best.
I pour boiling water over large clumps,
which kills the bulbs where they lay.
You can also use a syringe
to inject cheap cooking oil at the base of the plant
to smother the roots and tubers.
But if you think you can dig it out very carefully,
I like to keep a bucket nearby to deposit the plant in.
That way, I avoid scattering bulbils over my paths and lawn.
As with most things, prevention is better than cure.
And this sowing of dai gai choy is so thick
and the plants are so robust
they've outwitted the weeds.
This means little to no weeding as your plants mature.
While it won't work with all seedlings,
if you're planting more robust varieties
like chillies and fennel,
or more mature seedlings,
consider thicker mulch like sugar cane
to keep the weeds from gaining a foothold.
The old adage "one year's seeding means seven years weeding"
really means that if you allow a weed to self-seed in your garden,
you'll create a persistent problem for years to come.
Another way to turn the tap off on weeds
is to consider where they're coming from
and if you can do something about it.
For example, are the seed being windblown?
Well, my neighbours and I, we had a problem with black-eyed Susan,
and the windblown seed was affecting all our gardens.
So we had a chat
and we dealt with that weed in one weekend.
But perhaps that weed problem is closer to home.
Although they're one of my favourite plants,
the tomato is the worst weed in my garden.
It grows fast and it's looking for
exactly the conditions I provide for my vegetables -
warmth and nutrients.
It's an adventurous grower
and every single seed that is set
survives the compost heap.
It can be hugely annoying when you love tomatoes
but you're trying to grow some other plants.
And other people face a similar problem with pumpkin seed,
which survive the composting process.
Well, the solution is simple. Don't compost their fruit.
If you're going to spend the morning weeding,
the important thing is to make yourself comfortable,
so I use this frame kneeler,
a sponge mat,
and if the lawn is wet when I'm weeding,
a plastic bag will keep me dry.
I also find wooden boards useful.
They provide access to the centre of the bed,
I'm not compacting the soil,
and it's easy on my back.
Weeding can be a cathartic joy or sheer drudgery.
It really depends on how you approach it.
My advice is to take the Zen approach.
Never weed if you're rushed or in a bad mood,
and always make yourself comfortable.
However you weed, use it as an excuse
to get out into the garden and dig in.