How to Prevent Weeds in Flower Beds

 This year in Central Oregon has been a HUGE year for weeds.  From countless windy days, to plentiful rain & snow during winter, & now to strong sun: this has been a recipe for tons of weeds!  All my friends who own homes have spent the last few weekends in the garden, weeding ~ which is definitely not the best way to spend a sunny day!  But what’s bothered me most, is finding weeds (& grass shoots) sprouting up in my beautiful raised beds.  Here, I’ll explain how to prevent & stop weeds in flower beds….without the use of chemicals or pesticides!!

I’ve lined this flower beds with rocks, to create a nice border ~ but underneath the rocks, there are a few more steps of weed prevention!

In case you’re wondering if you can just put large rocks down (like in the photo above), & that alone will stop weeds: NO, it unfortunately won’t! It may work for a month or two, but not in the long-term: weeds will start growing in all the cracks between the rocks.

 

There are a few more steps to follow for more long-lasting weed prevention…

4-Step Method for Weed Prevention:

As mentioned above: if you just do one of the steps below: it may work temporarily, but it won’t stop weeds in the long-term.  A multi-step approach is necessary to really stamp out weeds for good.

Having weed-free flower beds takes some work, but it’s worth it!

•  Step #1:  Pull out any existing weeds in & around your garden beds.  If there are grass shoots growing in beds ~ try to rip out the whole network of grass….which can be very large!
• Step #2:  Pour diluted vinegar (or vinegar meant for the garden) in any area where you DON’T want weeds.   Ideally, all around the border of your garden beds.  As long as you’re not doing it by the base of your flowers in the bed: the vinegar should not harm them. 
• Step #3:  Lay weed fabric down, right around the beds.  If you’re also laying pavers: put a sheet of weed fabric IN BETWEEN the cracks of each paver!!  Weeds will eventually sprout up through these cracks: & having weed fabric there will help prevent that. 
• Step #4:  Put pea gravel, larger rocks, or pavers ON TOP of the weed fabric ~ to hold it in place, & to create a beautiful edging around your flower beds.  Cottage-style gardens (like mine) can use oversized rocks to create a border, while more modern gardens can use steel or plastic edging, or even rectangular pavers. 

Head to your local home improvement store to find the pavers or rocks that will look best in your garden.

Underneath these large rocks are: 1) Weed fabric, & 2) A layer of pea gravel, to really stop weeds from growing up through any cracks.

When I pull one of the large rocks away: you can see the layer of pea gravel, AND there’s weed fabric below it!

For additional weed prevention: continue pouring garden-specific vinegar around your new edging (whether it’s rocks, pavers, or pea gravel + weed fabric) once a week, for the next few weeks. This will help get a handle on any new weeds that are trying to germinate….& stop them in their tracks!

How to Prevent Weeds in Flower Beds

Pin It!