How to Naturally Get Rid of Weeds in your Yard

Weeds, who needs em?!

I’m not a big fan of weeds in my garden or in my lawn as they pull water and nutrients away from my plants but I’d rather have a weed than to use a chemical to get rid of them.

There’s a couple natural methods that I like to use to get rid of weeds in my yard. Some methods are quick acting and one method takes a bit longer for it to work. So depending how much time you have and the supplies available will help you narrow down which method you can choose.

1. Pull Em Out
This one requires a bit of time, muscle and getting your hands dirty (unless you wear gloves, like I sometimes remember to do). There’s a couple different ways to pull weeds out: 

You can literally do it by hand, one by one, which is sometimes the best method for a small space or if you have plants growing nearby that you don’t want to disturb.

You can use a gardening tool such as a cultivator, trowel (fancy name for a hand shovel), hoe, loop or a hand weeder (I had to google what the actual name of this tool was and if I’m being honest, am a little disappointed it didn’t have a cooler name). The space and amount of weeds is really going to determine which tool(s) will work best.

2. Vinegar/Soap/Salt Mixture    

This is a really good option if you aren’t worried about killing everything this mixture touches. I use this for the grass and weeds that sprout up in the cracks of my driveway. I do not use this mixture in my gardens or lawn as it’ll end up killing what you’d like it to along with everything else close by. 

When I use this mixture, it makes me laugh as the vinegar makes it smell like pickles. To make this combine the following in a spray bottle: 1L of vinegar, 1 tsp dish soap and 1 tsp salt. Shake it all together and go find some weeds!

3. Boiling Water

Not sure what to do with the pot of water after the corn is done boiling? Or you boiled an entire kettle of water and only used a cup for your tea. Well I have a solution for you - pour it on your weeds. Similar to the mixture above, it’ll take out everything in its path that it’s poured on so make sure to only get it on what you’d like to kill. 


4. Cardboard/Newspaper

This is a great method for clearing a big area but it takes time. It involved laying out cardboard or newspaper where the weeds or grass are and then leaving it there until they’re gone. The cardboard and newspaper prevent the sunlight and oxygen from getting to the weeds/grass.

If you’re wanting to start a new garden bed, it’s an awesome method as you can put new soil on top of the cardboard/newspaper and start planting. The cardboard/newspaper will kill the weeds/grass and then turn into compost as it breaks down under the soil. 

So if you have time, lots of cardboard or newspaper and need a big area free of grass or weeds, this is a great method.

Are there any other natural methods that you use to kill the weeds in your yard?

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