Weed and Mulch
With all the wet weather, the weeds are having a hay day. They seem to be growing faster than my actual vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Now is an important time in the garden to not let the weeds get ahead of you. Spending a little time now to weed out the garden and add more mulch will reap dividends later in the summer when all your really want to be doing is harvesting. Here's what to do.
Keep Weeding. Keep pulling out any large weeds you have, especially not letting them go to seed. Weeds that go to seed will be in your gardens for years to come because their seed can stay viable for a number of years in the soil. Also, any small weeds that are just germinating should be hoed down. Using a sharp-edged hoe or cultivator, it's a good idea to chop off the weeds just below the soil line to kill them. This will eliminate the weeds and help dry out the soil faster. Digging down too deep may just bring up more weed seeds and create a weedy garden later in summer.
Mulch. Once you've gone through your vegetable, flower, and herb gardens and done a thorough weeding, mulch. If you already put some mulch down earlier in the season, you may need to replenish it now. Add another layer of untreated grass clippings, straw, or chopped leaves. If you haven't mulched yet, add these materials to pathways and around plants to keep weeds at bay. in pathways you might even place down cardboard and cover it with a more attractive mulch.
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