LIVING WITH WEEDS

Dr Anton Rosenfeld, from sustainable gardening charity Garden Organic, shows you how to manage weeds in different areas of your garden - and some of their benefits

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You may be familiar with the well-worn phrase, “a weed is just a plant in the wrong place” but I'm not sure it’s that straightforward. Although weeds can undoubtedly be a nuisance, recently more gardeners have become aware of their many benefits. And you may even go so far as to consider a garden without weeds as lacking!

With that in mind, here are some ways you can live alongside weeds while maintaining a productive garden that’s also pleasing to look at.

FLOURISHING AMONG YOUR FOOD CROPS

It’s best to keep weeds at moderate levels in food beds, otherwise they'll compete for light, water and nutrients, reducing the amount you can harvest.

Be choosy about what weeds you allow. Small weeds, such as chickweed and speedwell, can be tolerated in small to moderate doses, while perennial thugs such as couch grass or creeping thistles are less welcome. Growing green manures, such as vetch, over winter will protect your soil and compete with weeds, giving them less of a chance to take hold.