Expert gardener shares simple tip to avoid laborious task of pulling weeds: 'Your beds will be weed-free'

Work smarter, not harder, the next time you pull stubborn weeds out of your garden.

Thanks to self-proclaimed gardening pro Simon Akeroyd (@simonakeroydgardener), you can avoid backbreaking weed work with this genius gardening hack.

@simonakeroydgardener Winning at life! #nodig #nodiggardening #gardening #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #gardeningforbeginners #growyourown #vegetablegardenforbeginners ♬ original sound - Simon Akeroyd

The scoop

If your garden beds are filled with pesky weeds, there's no need to bend down and manually pull each weed out of the ground. 

Instead, gather scrap cardboard and lay it on top of your gardening beds. 

Once the cardboard is fully covering the soil, you can add a layer of compost on top. Over winter, the compost will break down thanks to the help of gardening worms.

"The cardboard will smother out most weeds," says Simon. By spring, your beds will be weed-free and ready for planting."

Another pro tip from Simon: Avoid laying your cardboard out on a windy day. But if it is windy, lay a rock or piece of wood on top of the cardboard to keep it from blowing off the soil. 

How it's helping

With Simon's gardening hack, you can save time and energy on weed control. Manually pulling weeds is not only labor-intensive, but also time-consuming. Thanks to Simon's genius cardboard hack, you don't have to break a sweat the next time you treat stubborn weeds.

Tending a garden has numerous benefits for physical and mental health. Recent studies have found that individuals who garden are more physically fit and report reduced levels of stress. 

Growing your own vegetables and fruits is also a great way to save money on groceries and ensure your produce is organic. Every time you eat something from your garden instead of the grocery store, you help reduce the demand for mass-produced, globally shipped produce.

What everyone's saying

TikTokers were grateful to discover a hack that prevents backbreaking work and eager to learn more. 

"Love this," wrote one user. "Not just my back. My wrists/hands can't take the impact."

"Totally gone cardboard!" commented another TikToker. "No double-digging for me ever again."

"Will this only work on raised beds?" asked one user. "What about normal beds?"

"Yes, works just as well on beds directly on the ground," responded Simon. "Good luck if you give it a go."

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