Weeds can ruin a garden, but buying weed control formulas to kill them adds up when one application is not enough. They’re called weeds for a reason. Plus, think of all the toxins you’ll be adding to your garden. Here are five suggestions to keeping your garden weed free while avoiding toxins and high costs.
- Grubbing – This is the best know method for removing weeds in the garden. It doesn’t cost much, but requires a lot of elbow grease. Break upground by using a hand rake and pulling out weeds. Make sure to dig for the roots or else they will grow back. (Cost: Price of rake that will be reused, about $15.)
- Use vinegar – There are many uses for vinegar and killing weeds is one of them. Vinegar is inexpensive and can be bought at dollar stores. (A gallon costs $2-3 at grocery stores). Keep in mind that adding vinegar to your garden will make your soil more acidic, which is fine for plants like blueberries that prefer that kind of soil. For plants that don’t, you’ll need to balance the soil by adding wood ashes. (Cost: $1 – $3 for large bottle of vinegar)
- Use boiling water – A new use for leftover pasta water! You can kill weeds by boiling water and pouring it directly on them. No harsh chemicals and weeds will seldom come back, though you’ll need to pour a lot of boiling water on them to make it stick. Make sure no other
vegetation is nearby or you’ll end up killing it as well. (Cost: Depends on water and gas usage.) - Use mulch and newspaper – Not only is newspaper good for your compost, but you can also use it to kill the weeds. Take the newspaper and spread it over the weedy area. With a hose, wet the paper and then cover with mulch. This will smother the weeds and free space to plant whatever you like. No need to buy mulch as many cities give it out for free. Check with your Department of Public Works. For best results, try doing this during a hot day. (Cost: Newspaper subscription)
- Use black plastic bags and cardboard -If you have black trash bags sitting around at home, use them to smother weeds. No need to get the bags wet like with newspaper so you’ll be able to reuse them later. Place cardboard on top of the bags to cut light and air from reaching the weeds. Get cardboard for free by asking a clerk at your grocery store if they have extra boxes in back. This is a great way to get moving boxes for free, too. (Cost: Price of bags that can be reused, about $5.)
I prefer grubbing as I like to get in there and tear up my garden until it’s clear of weeds. It’s also a good stress reliever. How do you prefer to weed?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Guess what I was doing over the weekend!
I was pulling and pulling but as some are in between pavers on the patio, I think I’ll go invest in some vinegar and asve the grubbing for other areas.
I think I’ll use an old dish soap bottle so I can direct the stream more easily.
I know vinegar is good for so many household tasks, score another one for the faithful friend!
Thanks Yasmin
I buy my vinegar at Sam’s Club at a great deal for 2 large gallons. If you don’t have a membership at these big-box stores, you can sometimes go in for a trial and pay about 5% more for your final purchases. It’s worth it.
I’ve used vinegar after I’ve grubbed to kill any remaining roots. However, weeds pop up again (I have pavers so there’s lots of places for little seeds to take hold as the pavers are placed in a sand base) and I don’t know if the weeds are in the same spot or not.
Hi, Yazmin ~
Thanks for all the good tips about getting rid of weeds in non-toxic ways. Looks like all your experience in a community garden is paying off in spades. I didn’t know about using vinegar, but do know it works with lots of cleaning situations. Think I’ll try a combo of 3 or 4 of these things, as I can no longer get down on my (now titanium) knees to do a lot of grubbing! I know there’s a place on Victory in Van Nuys near the 405 Freeway where you can get dirt. Maybe they also have mulch available.
I spent hours pulling weeds…I use a shovel because I have BIG weeds in Porter Ranch…I use the shovel so it lifts the weeds roots off the soil…
– Have fun weeding…It’s like the gym w/o the membership…I love weeding b/c it works on my abs and I lose weight…
Don’t forget prevention! I’ll never forget hearing the tour guide at a nursery tell us that their policy was that no one could walk past a weed that was getting ready to spew seeds. I’m not great at this, but a nightly tour to get rid of seeds, even it you can’t weed, will save hours of grubbing!
@Linda Watson Great tip! I like to check my vegetable garden every morning to see how much the plants have grown (and to eyeball that night’s dinner) so I’ll often pluck out a weed or two then. The flower garden, on the other hand, is totally neglected.
@gabriele
Let me know how it goes with the weeds.
@EllieD If you are looking for mulch, try Griffith Park. The Department of Public Works gives it out for free at this location. Check their websites for dates and times.
@Angela Agree. I’m spending more time in the garden during the summer and it will help me destress and be active. Love it!
Some great ideas!!! Please remember that if you’re weeding in the garden, or really anywhere, that there are beneficial microbes and earthworms that will be harmed by the hot water suggestion. We need them in our soil for areation, fertilizer etc.. ( yes, worm poop is the one of the best fertilizers around) Just a little reminder to not harm our friends in the soil.? I’ve also used a propane torch to burn the foliage of weeds. It works great on brick pavers. ?
Thanks for the tip! I had no idea about the hot water and will certainly keep that in mind.