Take Care of Fall Weeding in the Organic Garden

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Aug 26, 2009

“Mommy, I see your armpit hair!” my four-year-old exclaimed when I reached up to brush my hair. Leave it to a child to notice the undesirable things we think no one else will notice when left unattended. The same can be said for fall weeds. In the springtime, everyone is a gardener. In the autumn, we get distracted by the beginning of the school year, or perhaps we’re just tired of our waning gardens. My three week vacation this summer really took the momentum out of my gardening activities. Our July rains were unusually plentiful, so everything was growing like gangbusters when we returned, instead of looking dry and desiccated like I feared. This includes every variety of lawn and garden weed, which were sprouting tall and proud like unwanted body hair everywhere in my lawn and garden upon my return.

Take advantage of soil-softening fall rains to pull every weed you can get your hands on. Young perennial weeds left in the landscape will reappear with new vigor in early spring. Annual weeds produce seeds this time of year, which will sprout with the spring thaw. Pull them now, and direct your gardening energies toward planting next spring.