WMM PEPUBS, WEDIlqÊSDAY J= ",lMt6I96AGE 33 By now the- flower beds are filling ou nicely and are presenting a beautiful display -of * color.. The vegetable gardens are flourishing and in no time you will be harvesting the fuits of your labor. Along with the lush vegetable and flower growth though, the weeds too are flourishing. This invasion« of unwanted vegetation can be the Miost frustrating and irritating part of gardening. There is no easy answer te eliminating weeds in cultivated gardens. Wherever good soul and optimum conditions exist, the, -.weeds will flourish right along:ý with the desirable plants. Every gardener has his orher favoriteê way of dealing, with weeds. To My mind, the Most effective way to get rid of weeds is to attack them when they are young. S My most valued teok is a hoe. I didn't always realize this. I used to bend'dowifgnïd'pick the weeds out one by one. This is fine recreation if you have a postage stamp garden but it's a waste of time and energy if your garden is anything bigger. SThe trick is toecut the weeds down as soon as they germinate, * an#/ not to wait until they are ei ght inches high. By doing this, you will eliminate most of the weed population before it can take hold, At the same time, you are cultivating the . soil around teplants which allows for'more oxgen to reach the plants' roots and that helps the them -to grow stronger and healthier. Those weeds that do mature, can be picked out easily as you make the rounds of your gardens. The best time ta weed is after a rainfaîl, when the roots give the least resistance. There are several types of hoes available. Buy the best one you can afford. The cheap ones don't last, they bond and can't be sharpened like a good quality hoe. When weeding some gardeners like to carry a pair of pliers with them for extracting those weeds that are more stubborn. If you can stand the look of the weeds laying and drying up- on tep of your flower beds, leave them there and work them back inte the soil when you are sure there's no chance they will "catch" again. Left there they will decay and provide a source of humus. Without a doubt, mulching cuts down considerably on weed growth and helps keep the soul cool and moist, a very desirable quality in the heat Of mid-summer. Mulchinig helps te prevent erosion and will protect crops like *tomatoes and cu- cumbers from direct contact with the soil and subsequently helps prevent rot. When a mulch eventually decomposes, it improves the condition of the soil. Before you do mulch your garden it is wise ta, add some extra nitrogen to the soul. As the soild organisms go te, work and decompse, it uses up a lot of -get theém.be.fore they take Iiold the process. This occurs most frequently with muiches that are naturally low in nitrogen, such as wood chips, sawdust, or leaves. A s ure sign this is happening is if your plants start to look yellow or stunted. Water the soul well, before coeigit -up with a mulch. This wIl ensure that the mulch is- retaining the moisture in the soul instead of helping it stay dry. Muiches are most effective when applied thickly. The idea is to suppress weeds and -therefore littie room would be left for themn to sneak through. If you can, spread a mulch on the garden* before planting. It's easier to push aside a littie than it is to carefully arrange mulch Mulches effective when they're thick aroung material that's already in. Somýe gardeners use old newspapers as mulching material. Two or three layers is thick enough to discourage weds and eventually the papers disintegrate. If you don't like the look that resuits, a thin layer of a more attractive mulch can cover the newspapers. Grass clippings make an excellent mulch too, provided of course it isn't loaded with weed Lately, a product called landscape cloth" has appeared on the market and is available in garden centres. The cloth is porous so, that it allows water to freely penetrate it, but at the saine time discourages weed growhit. It looks promising and is worth a try. Black plastic is also an alternative, but watering is a little more difficult. There are of course chemicals available te, prevent and kilI weeds. They do have their place in gardening, but are more suited to killing weeds and grasses nrear driveways and patios. One should always be judicious about using chemical means, especially aroung edible crops. Unfortunately, there is no easy way te control weeds without doing somne work. Preventiôn in the long run is the easier route te take. WINNER EUNICE STOCKSI of Brooklin, is the winner of Oshawa Garden Service, Garden Gallery $100. Monthly Shopping Spree. Draws to cantine until December to celebrate O.G.S's 35th year i Whitby., . ..... .. .. July weeding 1 F~or & e sevc1