5 easy steps for a weed-free garden

Weeds to the wise
Annual weeds:
• Summer annual (one season) weeds such as lambs'-quarters (Chenopodium album) and ragweed sprout in spring and go to seed in late summer and fall.

• Winter annuals such as common chickweed (Stellaria media) sprout in fall and go to seed in spring or early summer.

• Annual weeds can grow quickly enough to spawn a couple of generations in a single season if you let them go to seed.

Biennial weeds:
• Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) and burdock (Arctium lappa) form roots and a rosette of leaves the first year, then flower and set seed the second year.

Perennial weeds
• Dandelions, Canada thistle, quack grass and creeping Charlie are long-lived and have large, vigorous root systems. Many of them spread by both seeds and stolons (horizontal, above-ground shoots), or rhizomatous roots (horizontal, underground stems). They're the toughest weeds to get rid of because of their ability to regrow from tiny pieces of root.

Resources
Article on weeds:
www.devonian.ualberta.ca/getgro7.html

Tips for controlling weeds:
www.fernlea.com/weeds/weeds.htm

Design ideas for minimizing undesirable plants:
www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/sustainable/1995sp_weeds.html

Read more in How to and Gardening Basics