Webster’s definition:

Weed - “plant growing where it is not desired.”

A weed can be defined as a plant of any kind which is growing in the wrong place. There are many examples of this situation including chickweed smothering lettuces, moss in the lawn and last year’s spuds in amongst current crops such as leaf beet. All weeds compete with cultivated plants for the three essential requirements of life: water, nutrients and light. For that reason alone they have to be removed before you start cultivating and continually during cultivation. Weeding ranks right up there with housework: it's one of those chores that just never go away. As soon as you clear out a patch of weeds, it seems to grow right back, like a gecko's tail. But it IS possible to achieve.

Starting a vegetable plot on an allotment filled with weeds can be an overwhelming task. However, it is possible to start a vegetable plot even from the most weed infested patch - if you put in some hard work!

We have excellent examples of how this can be done when you look at the incredible job that Stephen Parry has done on Plot 14 and Mike & Eileen Evans have done on Plot 10 this season. Both of these plots had been seriously neglected by their previous occupiers. Neither had been cultivated and both plots were absolutely infested with docks and other weeds. However within a matter of DAYS the plots were back under the control of their new occupiers - what another wonderful example to all of us. It also shows us how important it is for us as a committee to be selective in who we rent plots out to. Some on our waiting list are obviously keen, serious and hard-working gardeners. Sad to say not all existing Plot-holders on our site can be categorised in that same way.

Before anyone starts a new vegetable plot, they MUST clear away the weeds, otherwise they will continually struggle to produce meaningful crops, even worse, it will only be a matter of time before they lose the joy of growing their own as the perpetual weed battle coupled to the  sight of their unkept plot and moans from other plot-holders changes their experience from being a joy to being a chore. That would be a huge shame.

The old adage of 1 year’s seeding means 7 year’s weeding is not far from the truth. Some seeds, (such as poppies for example), remain viable for decades and will germinate when moved to the top inch of soil. So it's very important NOT to let them seed in the first place.

The weeds on a plot come in different sizes and characteristics. Weeds can be divided into two groups:

1. ANNUAL weeds, and

2. PERENNIAL weeds.

Annual weeds mature, reproduce and set new seeds within one season. They can spread rapidly through wind or mechanical dispersal and set on the soil of neighbouring allotment holders as well as the soil of the plot where they are growing. This is a grossly unfair and selfish deed on behalf of the plot-holder responsible for the weed infestation.

Perennial weeds are much harder to control because they can survive in the winter weather. Perennial weeds can spread by root and seed, as their name suggests they also reappear every year. To completely get rid of perennial weeds, you must dig out the roots to prevent them from growing back. Some perennial weeds such as horsetail and ground elder cannot be got rid of. The only thing that you can do is to control their population.

Having to weed is a bind for most gardeners. It's certainly a headache if it's allowed to get out of hand. The only way to get on top of the job is to snaffle them at a manageable stage in their growth. Give them too long to establish (quite easily done at the height of the growing season because it takes a VERY short time for them to germinate and get going at an alarming rate) and you're going to be staring down the barrel of an impossible task. The weeds will have overtaken your crops and may be growing in greater numbers and more aggressively than your crops. It can soon turn into a hopeless task because your attempts may destroy your crop or the weeds may have strangled and shadowed them out before you can save them. Weeds have also evolved strategies to get the drop on our cultivated veg. plants.

Moisture & Nutrient Robbers

Weeds are serious moisture, nutrient and yield robbers. Sometimes they can have a drastic effect on crop size and quality (onions and sweet-corn are an excellent example of this).

Weeds compete successfully with your cultivated vegetables because they absorb more mineral, nutrients & water in the soil around them, simply put they're better at it than our cultivated plants. Many weeds have very shallow roots & can absorb the rain water before it seeps into the soil for the desired, slower-growing plants who have deeper roots. Fruit trees suffer enormously from weed overgrowth around them – hence the reason fruit tree experts always extol the virtues of keeping the area around fruit trees weed-free and using a mulch to keep the moisture from being robbed by weeds and/ or evaporation.

Weeds can cause significant crop reductions: 10 to 50% or more depending on the circumstances. Sweet Corn plants growing without competition from weeds are taller, more vigorous, & better able to withstand drought & any insect or disease damage than the weedy corn growing right next to them. The weed-free corn yields more & the ears are fuller. When it comes to onions, if you want under-sized bulbs that often bolt, because they're stressed and robbed of moisture - grow them in a weed infested bed. Onions are even sensitive to sharing their water & nutrients with other onions. That's why exhibitors grow them at least a foot apart and remove all weeds from the vicinity.

Adequate light is essential to plants because it powers the process of photosynthesis whereby green leaves convert the sun’s energy into things essential for plant growth. Weeds that block out sunlight from your crops will starve your cultivated plants of sunshine and consequently they won't be able to convert nutrients into food through photosynthesis. The ultimate competition is achieved by parasitic plants, those that get all their nourishment from the tissues of a host plant to which they are attached. These parasites are almost impossible to control without destroying the host plant. Ivy is a good example of such a parasite.

Certain weeds,  can out-compete other plants by a kind of chemical warfare called allelopathy (examples include creeping buttercup - which is rampant on the Cae Ffynnon Wîn allotment site). Creeping buttercup also depletes the soil of potassium. Some weeds have what is called ‘allelopathic’ (poisonous) tendencies. The roots of such species produce chemicals that inhibit either the germination, growth or development of their neighbours. This can include veggies. Allelopathic plants include creeping buttercup, couch grass (sometimes called twitch), creeping thistle and chickweed. Rhododendron is the classic poisonous plant. An allelopathic plant secretes a growth inhibiting substance (gaseous or chemical). This substance is absorbed by another, sensitive species growing close to it. The result is the target plant's growth is then inhibited - how "sneaky" is that? A good idea to let the weeds get on with it undisturbed? I don't think so - do you?

Pests and diseases can often be harboured on weeds. Fungal rust, an orangey powder that coats leaves, can affect garlic and leeks. It also thrives on groundsel, for instance. Fat hen (also known as Good King Henry) and dock frequently host vast armies of aphids which then home in on runner and broad bean crops. Common nettle is an important alternative host of carrot fly and removal of nettles from hedgerows has been suggested as a means to suppress the pest. Certain weeds are alternate hosts for plant diseases. These are viruses that can only be stopped by destroying the weed. Otherwise, once infected the plant must be destroyed.

Weeds can also be hazardous to your health. They can cause allergic reactions – I personally have a particularly nasty skin reaction to certain nettles. After being stung I develop deep watery blisters that turn ulcerous for about two weeks before they heal - leaving scars. Other gardeners I've met over the years suffer from all sorts of plant allergies - it's an occupational hazard, but it is one that can be reduced greatly if your allergy is caused by a weed.

Among the many thousands of kinds of plants, only a couple of hundred are undesirable enough to be considered important weeds. There are some weeds that thrive only in the wild & there are some that thrive only in cultivated areas. Besides making an allotment plot (or garden) look ugly, weeds rob desirable plants of nutrients, water & sunlight.

Why Control Weeds?

Simply put, if you don’t control them, they WILL control you. The main reason to eliminate weeds is that they are out-and-out robbers. Most are aggressive plants; that’s how they survive in spite of much adversity. Their aggressiveness is often the characteristic that defines them as weeds.

After a while you begin to wonder if it really is all that important to do. After all, many books (and certain modern "garden gurus") espouse the benefits of "green manure" and "living mulches" - what makes those different from your average weeds? These are the red herrings raised that confuses many people

Not only do weeds compete against whole crop and single vegetable plants for moisture and nutrients, they can also harbour insect and disease pests which then move to your valuable plants. Don't be fooled by the "Lazy Gardener Myth" that weeds distract pests away from your crops - they are not blind or stupid! It's a supply and demand thing - you provide lots of food & shelter for pests in the form of weeds - they'll supply the plague that will devour what's put in front of them - including your prized veggies. Worse still you supply the weeds and it may be your plot neighbour who suffers by having his crop devoured by the pests you've encouraged.

I will not put too fine an edge on it, to be bluntly honest, most of the way-out theories of many modern gardening gurus are myths created for lazy gardeners! Unfortunately like many other myths, some of them are picked up and believed. Especially by fresh new gardeners, and through no fault of their own, they get bogged down trying to get things to work. As the theories are often nonsense the new gardeners get disillusioned and pack it in. Thank you for your fine help modern "Gardening Gurus"! Mind you, it's not all to do with "modern" myths. There are some Victorian techniques that need dust-binning as well. As an example they believed that you could get a plant cutting to root better if it was allowed to wilt for a few days! They also encouraged the bending over of onions before they were ready to fall over themselves; believing that you were aiding the ripening process. Crop rotation was new to them and some still used the third year fallow system - believing the only way for soil to recover it's fertility was to leave it alone.  All myths I'm afraid!

Green manure, properly used is fine and cannot be ruled out as a myth WEEDS ARE NOT GREEN MANURES for digging into soil. Green Manure is the name given to plants/crops sown that will later be tilled into the plot soil. These plants are usually those that provide nutrients to the soil (like nitrogen) and as a rule are planted in off years when you don't put any food crops in the bed. Green manure plants include amongst others, plants like clover, alfalfa, mustard, fava beans, rye and buckwheat. They are also great for attracting pollinators. You DON'T sow green manure plants among the plants you're cultivating, anymore than you allow weeds to grow around them. Often used in the vegetable garden, their foliage smothers weeds and their roots prevent soil erosion. When dug into the ground while still green, they return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure.

Living mulches, on the other hand, are plants you stick in the ground in and among your food plants, like clover. In theory they stay low, shading the soil from the harsh rays of the sun and the sharp patter of raindrops. Additionally, they are supposed to smother out "weeds." I know someone who tried some of the clover last year...it did very well, it grew quite tall, and took over a section of his garden. It seems to me like what we're talking about here is just another weed! I.e. "a plant of any kind which is growing in the wrong place" (at the wrong time).

So where do you draw the line between weeds and living mulches? Maybe it all comes down to the species of plant. Clovers, after all, do help provide nutrients to the soil. "Weeds," on the other hand, steal the nutrients and water from your crops, reducing your yield, sometimes monumentally. Does the clover not do this, too? If you sow it amongst your food crops it will. Because although it contributes nitrogen to your soil via it's root nodules when it's dug in, it also has to live on something whilst it's growing. The idea is that those nutrients it sucked up are returned to the soil when you dig it in NOT whilst it's growing and competing with your vegetables for nutrients, water & sunlight.!

We'll just have to resolve ourselves to pulling the weeds out by hand or by using some weeding tool like a hoe. And, if you are like me, and keep putting it off, let me give you some hard-learned advice: don't. Get out there and pull those weeds as soon as you see the little swines sticking up between your plants. If you don't keep on top of them, they will take over and before you know it, those lovely plots that you sweated and strained over, digging by hand, planting with loving care, will once more become part of nature's jungle and you'll stand there looking at your strangled veg wondering what happened. Yes - and then you'll find yourself back at square one, having to re-dig those beds, only this time you'll have to be careful not to damage the surviving food plants as you thrust your spade into the soil to uproot the weeds and grasses. The hard-won truth is that you must keep up with the weeding every week.

Gardening - including weeding is a management exercise. You can only cope with what you can manage (each individual has his/ her own level - depending on age, health, strength, knowledge, experience & efficiency). Provide 50 square metres of food for pests in the form of crops AND weeds and you'll have the corresponding greater number of pests to deal with. Cut out the weeds and your management load decreases - it's quite simple. If you have a pest problem that you can't cope with - (through bad weed management) then you may be shipping that pest problem on to your plot neighbour. Not to mention the weed seeds that will land on his/her soil. Is that fair on your neighbour?

Click on any weed name from the list below to see pictures and a full description of that weed from the Garden Organic web-site. Fascinating! It's always good to be able to recognise your enemy - before you meet it face to face!