Safe Gardening Methods (Glyphosate-Free)

We want safe methods to rid our yards and gardens of pests and weeds. When we use Roundup in our yards and around our gardens, we are applying an endocrine disruptor chemical called glyphosate. This chemical causes many problems in laboratory animal studies including birth defects, DNA changes, cancer, neurological and behavioral changes, and lowers male hormone levels and sperm counts. Our food garden plants take up this chemical which then we eat. In plants, glyphosate blocks mineral absorption so that the plants are more susceptible to disease.₁

Luckily, there are a number of safe alternatives to using glyphosate in our yards and to control weeds in garden plots. Some methods include:

1) Pure white vinegar, which will kill any plant and is great for sidewalk or patio or other pavement weed control.

2) Laying clear plastic sheeting over the garden plot in the fall, about a month before the last frost date, which will encourage weed seeds to germinate. Once the sprouts appear, remove the sheeting and the freezing temperatures will kill them.

3) Organic mulch will cut down weeds very nicely between garden rows and along pathways and around plantings. Any weed that crops up later in the season can be handled by vinegar spray. Do not spray the vinegar on a windy day or it may blow onto your garden plants! ₂

Sources:

₁ Fox, Michael. “Weed Killing Herbicides- Harming People, Pets, Wildlife, and the Environment." Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Volume 30.

₂ Sources: Moody, John. “Weed ‘Em or Weep, Safe Alternatives to Herbicides." Wise Traditions. Fall 2015.