Weeds in your garden and yard can be a constant problem and cause you to spend a great deal of time pulling those weeds. Here are two methods you can use in your yard to help control the weed growth so you can spend time cultivating your garden plants.

Use Drip Irrigation

Installing and using a drip-irrigation system in your vegetable garden will take some time, but the system is worth the effort, as you will save water and deliver water only to the roots of the plants you want to water. A drip-irrigation system can use 20 to 50 percent less water than a pop-up sprinkler system, as much of the water in a sprinkler system is lost to evaporation and runoff. If you water your garden using a sprinkler system that waters from above, then you will be providing moisture to all the weed seeds, causing them to germinate and take root. Then you will need to pull all the weeds, as they will compete with your garden plants for nutrients and moisture.

You can find a drip-irrigation starter kit at most home-improvement and sprinkler stores. A starter kit will provide you with the hoses, tubing, connectors, and drip-watering tips you will need to set up your garden with as a basic framework for watering your plants. Then you can buy any extra lengths of tubing and watering tips to add on to the drip system and continue the system throughout your garden.

To complete your drip-irrigation system, you can install a programmable timer to water your garden on specific days, at a set time, and for a specific duration. This will help your garden get all the water it needs even when you are not at home.

Install a Layer of Compost Mulch

If you live in an area that has a great deal of rain during the growing season, this can provide the unwanted moisture to help germinate weed seeds in your garden. Despite your installing a drip system, if the weather provides water to all areas of your garden, weeds will begin to sprout up all through the garden. So, to combat the weeds, you can lay down a layer of mulch to help suppress the weed growth.

A compost weed barrier installed in your garden around the garden plants can prevent the necessary nutrients, including oxygen, sunlight, and moisture, from reaching weed seeds in the soil. Many potential mulch materials may be available in your yard and home. You can use items such as lawn clippings, wood chips, and newspaper. 

Install a compost mulch layer of lawn clippings throughout your garden each time you cut your lawn. Collect the cuttings in your mower bag and then spread them throughout the garden between plants. If you have any fallen tree branches, you can rent a wood chipper to chop the wood into small pieces and layer it onto your garden. Be sure to make the layer of wood chips as thick as possible to create a proper weed barrier.

You can also soak a stack of newspapers overnight and then lay the newspapers several layers thick onto the soil around your garden plants. The weight of the moisture in the newspapers will hold them down until they dry, and then they will create a hard shell that keeps the moisture, sunlight, and oxygen away from weed seeds.

Use these two methods to help control weed growth in your vegetable garden. For professional help with weed control, visit sites such as http://snydersweedcontrol.com/ to find a professional near you. 

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