THERE’S nothing quite as frustrating as seeing all your hard work in the garden being destroyed by pesky weeds.
Not only do these unwelcome tenants ruin the overall aesthetic of your green space but also drain precious nutrients from other plants – but, luckily, there is a free weed-killing solution that comes in the post.
The British gardening enthusiast Kelly is a cottage and kitchen gardener who posts her expertise on her Instagram account @garden_days_girl.
The whizz, according to The Express, grows stunning blooms and delicious vegetables in her green space and allotment, and now she has also shared a genius tactic to remove weeds without spending a penny.
As Kelly avoids using chemicals in her garden and also follows a ”no-dig” method, her options to remove pesky weeds are quite limited – but she’s found a solution.
The savvy expert revealed that to kill these plants she uses a material that comes through most British letterboxes on regular occasions – cardboard.
read more gardening stories
“With regards to weeds, as a gardener, we need to learn to live with weeds to a certain degree, especially if you have an allotment,” she explained.
“Weeds are actually a sign of healthy soil and many are beneficial to wildlife, such as dandelions which provide an early source of food for pollinators and nettles which provide a good area for butterflies to lay their eggs.”
Speaking to The Express, Kelly said that as a ”no-dig gardener”, she will ”try to disturb the soil as little as possible”.
“Under the surface, there is a whole lifeline of beneficial organisms that help feed the roots.
“This way of gardening is actually a less effortless way of gardening with a higher success in reducing weeds, compared to digging or rotavating.”
Instead of digging and disturbing the soil, the British enthusiast lays cardboard over the weeds in her garden.
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
“As much as we need to support our wildlife, we also don’t want a patch full of weeds.”
Kelly also explained what fellow gardening fans should do – if the weeds are high, everything should be cut to ground level and then covered with a layer of thick cardboard, followed by with compost.
“The cardboard will naturally get broken down and those precious organisms will work the compost into their underground web.”
Luckily, Kelly added, you don’t need to rush to the store to buy any special cardboard – the Amazon packages work like a charm.
OTHER USES OF CARDBOARD IN THE GARDEN
According to experts, there are countless ways of using cardboard in your green space – good news for those who like to order online on a regular basis.
As well as killing weeds, this material can be laid down as part of mulch in the gloomier months of autumn.
Here, simply spread a compost in your flowerbeds towards the end of autumn and layer some cupboard over the top.
This will become a haven for the tiny soil creatures in the soil which are vital for plants to grow in the springtime.
Torn cardboard, it turns out, can also be directly thrown in the compost.
Avid gardeners can use larger pieces as temporary windbreaks or sun shades for plants who are struggling in the harsher conditions.
