To think weeding the garden is a ballache?

[OafOrForksAche]

Normally DH and I both work full time and our garden is a mess. We've had 2 weeks off over Easter and DH was planning to do the garden but hasn't. I've been ill so couldn't do it (recovering from an operation). So I snapped today, put my scruffs on and out DD and I went.

Jeeezus it's so hard! Our back garden is covered in weeds and they're such a pain in the arse to remove. I'm half tempted to get someone in to give it a makeover and then promise to do the garden myself more often instead of waiting for DH to never do it.

Do it. I have a lad that comes a few times a year to do the backbreaking jobs in the garden, leaving me with the more pleasant tasks!

YANBU. I live in a flat and I'm not complaining!

I actually love weeding but yes it is quite tough physically and not everyone's cup of tea. If it's not yours then get a landscaper if you can afford it.

We weed all year round - have a front garden, a back garden, a courtyard and an allotment and I run a community garden which is slowly being returned from 6ft weeds to something that produces actual food.

I hear you but you absolutely have to do little and often. Otherwise you end up with mega backache and are so upset when you go back out again. Half an hour every few days is better than mega weeding once a month.

Then, once you have your plants in place - mulch around them as much as you can.

I did actually quite enjoy it chickenme just didn't realise how hard it was, clearly I need to toughen up!!!

Wow funkyboldribena (love the name) that's a lot to do! But yes you are right, little and often. We don't really have any plants, just a big lawn and the front garden needs some landscaping (I did that myself too, looks like shit tbh) but I shall promise myself I will do more. I want to get fitter anyway, this can be part of my new regime!

Oaf - would now be prudent to tell you that we were out at the allotment on Christmad day - I was coppicing some hawthorn and the OH was weeding. We weed all year round - mainly in the winter whilst everyone else is indoors and then people think we have immaculate gardens/allotments.

:)

Haha well as much as admire you funky I'll be giving Christmas Day weeding a miss :)

We don't see the garden as a priority with so many other things that we need or want to do instead.

We pay somebody £10 a week spring/summer/autumn and that's enough for him to keep both gardens looking fab.

We just bought a house with a huge garden, which I've since discovered is riddled with ground elder. Getting rid of it is a fucking neverending pain in the arse backbreaking. But I'm in a pencil skirt and heels all week at work and quite like spending the weekend with no makeup on, covered in muck and doing something physical

Weeding after it has rained for a few days makes life easier. For the buggers that don't come out easily like bind weed, fill a container with round up, dip the leaves in, or paint it on and it will remove some of the hard work and re-growth.

I advise getting a hoe, and once you've got rid of your big weeds, including such things as ground elder go round with the hoe once a week it'll only take a short time, and you will keep your weeds down, as the seedlings won't have time to get big.

Manatee there is a form of Tagetes that apparently poisons ground elder, so if you plant it, it gets rid of GE.

I'd love to find someone for 1-2 hours per week to do my garden. However it's quite difficult here.

Ok I think I'm going to admit defeat and get someone in.

what the heck is ground elder

Ooooh thanks for the tip Bearleigh

Seriously, the infestation is so bad I'm going to have to rotavate and sieve before I can even sow anything like this. But that's a fantastic tip, many thanks - I dislike weed killer so any natural help is very welcome