Why leaving weeds in your garden is a good thing

Mother's Day is usually that magical point to start your garden in New Jersey. That's when we're usually past the last frost or freeze in the Garden State and is considered generally safe to plant most of those warm weather flowers and vegetables. But of course, there is one constant that most likely wants to take over your garden space right now, and that culprit is weeds.

So you may be thinking, why would I want them to grow in my garden? Shouldn't I just pull them up now and prepare for the warmer weather ahead? Not so fast, as there can be added benefits to having them in place this time of year.

1) Weeds hold the soil together

Runoff through a garden can cause a lot of headaches, especially if your garden is on a slope. If your garden area is bare, a lot of that soil can wash away. Another added problem? Unwanted rocks, stones, or sand washing into your garden, thus making it more difficult to prepare the ground for your plants.

Weeds provide a way to hold your soil in place, and can also serve as a natural barrier to stop unwanted sand or stone from mixing in due to heavy rains.

2) Their roots systems pull up nutrients

The benefits primarily fall within how the root systems work. Weeds can help keep the surface of your garden moist by drawing up ground water and nutrients deep down in the soil. So when that time comes to remove them, weeds would've provided a very beneficial service to your garden. Another reason to leave them in place until the danger of frost has passed.

3) Natural weeds can attract pollinators

Did you know that flowers on weeds can attract pollinators? It's true. For example, if you see dandelions pop up on your lawn, you might notice bees are attracted to them, which is good news for any gardener. So with that in mind, do yourself a favor and leave a few of those weeds in your garden that produce flowers. It's a great way to naturally attract pollinators such as bees, which in turn, will help your garden thrive.

I'll be honest, I didn't even think about keeping weeds in place until I read many of the garden books we own. Our garden books are mainly for the kids, but they absolutely love gardening, and we learn so much from reading them since they're not really what you would consider children's books. And it's great to be able to share many of these tips we learn in our garden so you can benefit from it as well.

Happy Gardening, New Jersey!