Content
- Do chemical weed killers help in the vegetable garden?
- Remove weeds consistently
- In severe cases, cover weeds with black mulch foil
- Use herbicides in the vegetable garden only in extreme emergency
- Tips
Weeds should be weeded by hand best
Do chemical weed killers help in the vegetable garden?
Not only the numerous hungry pests, also many weeds (botanically correct: Beikräuter) make life difficult for the gardener. When field winds and greed spread cheerfully in the vegetable patch, many leisure gardeners come up with the idea of rapidly effective herbicides, ie chemical weed killers. However, these are generally not designated for use in the vegetable garden.
Remove weeds consistently
Basically, only the repeated and regular manual removal of the weeds against them helps. Weed between the rows of vegetables, then chop them thoroughly with a pickaxe and cultivator. The mulching also inhibits unwanted growth between crops. Weeds need to be removed as they compete for light and nutrients with the vegetables and, moreover, are often host plants for pests and diseases, which then switch over to the vegetables. Root weeds, in particular, often grow so strongly that they virtually crush other growths. These types of weeds (such as thistles, couch grass, yaw and field winds) should be removed with the help of a weed-whipper together with the roots.
In severe cases, cover weeds with black mulch foil
If weeds in the bed finally got so out of hand that the same is basically no longer usable, the surface can be covered completely with a black mulch foil. This is best left several months, because the withdrawal of light and air in the long run even the most indestructible weeds kill. Nevertheless, you should then carefully remove all detectable root remains.
Use herbicides in the vegetable garden only in extreme emergency
There are some weed killers that are approved for house and allotments. Above all, preparations based on pelargonic acid or acetic acid rather little burden on the environment. Highly toxic and probably carcinogenic agents such as glyphosate (also known as "round-up"), however, have in the kitchen now really no business. These herbicides, however, make no distinction between crops and unwanted herbs, which is why they must be applied specifically to the individual weeds. Spraying, brushing or dabbing often needs to be repeated several times to kill the plant.
Tips
Anyone who uses herbicides in the kitchen garden should by no means harvest and consume oversprayed vegetables or herbs. The poisons it contains also go into the fruits and roots and can have serious health consequences.