Weeds present an ongoing challenge for any gardener. Thankfully, there are several natural strategies you can use to keep weeds from sprouting and overrunning your garden plants.

Limiting weed growth will allow your garden to thrive, as weeds can take up a lot of space and nutrients when left unchecked. It will also save you the time and trouble of weeding. If you’re interested in suppressing weed growth without the use of herbicides, then here are five simple tips that any gardener can implement.

Make use of mulch

There are many advantages to using mulch. Not only does it help conserve soil moisture, but it also introduces more nutrients into the soil as it breaks down. Most importantly for our purposes, mulch smothers existing weeds and keeps new seeds from germinating by blocking out sunlight. Good materials for organic mulch include compost, straw, grass clippings, and wood chips. A layer of mulch should typically be about two to three inches deep.

Limit unnecessary digging

Unfortunately, most garden soil is full of weed seeds just waiting to germinate. By turning or tilling the soil, you will help bring them to the surface and increase the chances that they will sprout. Of course, there is no way to garden without disturbing the soil at least a little bit. The trick is not to dig any wider or deeper than you have to in order to plant seeds or transplant seedlings.

Practice dense planting

Weeds can’t grow if they simply don’t have enough space and if the soil is shaded by the other plants around them. Practicing more intensive gardening and spacing your plants closer together can effectively crowd the weeds out. Just make sure you leave enough room between your plants so that, when they are fully grown, they won’t be shading or crowding each other out as well.

Avoid watering weeds

Just like all of your other plants, weeds need water to germinate and grow. This means that, as you water your garden, you also run the risk of watering your weeds and helping them flourish. Drip irrigation systems, soaker hoses, and irrigation bags can all help direct water only to where you want it. Without moisture, weeds will be significantly less likely to germinate and survive.

Plant in raised beds

While raised beds don’t have a direct effect on weed growth, they can make it much easier to apply the gardening practices that do. Raised beds help to prevent soil compaction and drainage issues, which makes for healthier plant growth and allows you to plant more densely, crowding out the weeds. You can also install a drip irrigation system directly into the raised bed as you build it, and you’ll have a much easier time performing garden tasks such as mulching because you won’t have to bend over as much.

Once you’ve implemented some or even all of the above strategies, then it’s just a matter of keeping an eye on your garden and noting where you can continue to make improvements. Keep the weeds at bay, and you’ll get to enjoy a much healthier and more abundant harvest.