URBANA — As gardeners know, weeds grow almost anywhere. Plants can even survive cracks in the pavement if soil, water and light are present.
Whether a plant is considered a weed depends on how it affects the intended use of the site and who is looking at it.
“A white oak seedling is not normally considered a weed, but when it grows in a vegetable garden it is often treated as such,” says Sarah Vogel, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois Extension. “Some gardeners remove foliage leaves to create a perfectly manicured lawn, but if you’re a hungry pollinator insect, dandelion, violet, or clover flowers can be a welcome sight.”
COURTYARD AND GARDEN: Meet the ‘Chelsea Chop’
Weeds compete with desirable species for available moisture and nutrients. They can harbor pests and diseases or even pose health hazards. Occasionally weeds are so troublesome that their removal is mandated by the Illinois Noxious Weeds Act. Traits that make weeds so successful also make them difficult to control, and gardeners should consider a management strategy to keep weeds in check.
Because weeds reproduce in a variety of ways, they need to be controlled at different times during the growing season. The most successful approach is a combination of control methods and the right timing. To minimize costs and environmental impact, use mechanical or cultural weed control techniques before trying pesticides.
The first line of defense against weeds is to keep desirable plants healthy. Choose disease-resistant cultivars of species adapted to the site where they will be planted. “Put the right plant in the right spot, check regularly for pests and diseases, provide adequate water and fertilizer, and cover bare soil to prevent weeds,” says Vogel.
A healthy, dense lawn is the best way to keep foliage away. On established lawns, mow the lawn up before the weeds bloom. Lawns mowed at a higher deck height have deeper roots and fewer weeds.
In landscape or vegetable beds, apply mulch to suppress weeds, prevent soil temperature fluctuations, retain moisture, and return organic matter to the soil. Organic sources of mulch include wood chips, shredded bark, straw, grass clippings, shredded leaves, or compost. Inorganic options include landscape fabric, perforated black plastic, or clear plastic that creates a heating effect called solarization.
A mechanical approach to weed suppression is best achieved when the weeds are small. Tillage, hoeing, shoveling, using a flame hoe, or simply hand weeding are efficient but may be impractical for large plots. Some perennial weeds may require repeated treatment.
Cover crops are another way to control weeds in both new and established areas. Some species are chosen for their ability to replenish soil nutrients, while others improve soil crumbling or its physical condition. Cover crops keep weeds at bay by creating a living mulch as they grow densely. When the garden bed is ready for use, some cover crops can be turned under and used as green manure.
Chemical control may not be necessary to treat weeds, and most herbicides are not recommended for vegetable gardens. How effective a product is depends on the type of herbicide used, timing of application, coverage and environmental conditions. Applying unnecessary herbicides can harm crops, soil, water, beneficial insects like pollinators, or humans. Always read and follow label directions when using pesticides.
When starting a new garden plot, manage weeds before planting or you may end up fighting the whole growing season in a losing battle. If weed pressure is becoming too much in your garden beds, you can consider alternative growing systems such as raised beds or containers. Whichever method you choose, weed control will keep your garden healthier and more attractive.
For more information on weed control options, contact your local Illinois Extension County Office at go.illinois.edu/ExtensionOffice.
My Town: Clint Walker’s Memoirs of Coles County from the Archives
Cosmic Blue Comics
From the Journal Gazette of November 22, 1992, this photo by Cosmic Blue Comics in Mattoon; where I spent practically every Saturday afternoon for about two years. That little back room to the right of the Coca-Cola sign was where the many, I mean many, long crates of old issues were kept. I still have my boxed copy of Tales of the Beanworld issue #1 that I found there. Unfortunately, this place is now just a “green space”.
Mattoon Arcade

Pictured is Bob Murray of Shelbyville from the June 2, 1982 Journal Gazette demonstrating his dominance over the TRON arcade game at the Carousel Time arcade in the Cross County Mall, which would later become Aladdin’s Castle, to soon after not being a thing anymore. I spent almost every Saturday in this arcade, maybe with the exact same hairdo. However, without overalls. I was more of an “Ocean Pacific” kid.
Icenogles

Pictured November 28, 1988, Journal Gazette, Icenogle Grocery Store. Being from Cooks Mills, we didn’t shop at Icenogle’s often… but when we did, I knew from a young age that’s how a grocery store should be in a perfect world, and not just because she had it Wooden floors, comics on magazine racks, or lots, and I mean lots of trading cards in wax packs.
cooks mills

By the time this showcase article about Adam’s Groceries appeared in the Journal Gazette of June 13, 1998, I had long since moved away from Cooks Mills, but there was a time when I could very well have been one of those kids in this photograph; because if it was summer and you had a bike and you lived in Cooks Mills, that’s where you ended up. According to last report they still had Tab in the Pepsi cooler on the back. I am seriously considering asking my money man if I could afford to reopen this place.
Mr Music

Pictured from the Journal Gazette, July 16, 1987, this ad for Mister Music, formerly located on the Cross County Mall. I didn’t buy records at that age, but eventually I would and it all went under. If you think hanging out with your buddies at a record store on a Friday night with a hot driver’s license fresh in your wallet doesn’t sound ‘cool’, you’re right. But it’s the best a geek like me could do. Wherever you are today, owners of Mister Music, please know that a Minutemen album I found in your cheap bin changed my life.
Sound source guitar throw

Portrait of the author as a young man attempting to throw a guitar through a target at this year’s Sound Source Music Guitar Throwing Contest, April 18, 1994, Journal Gazette. Check out my grunge era hoodie, and yes… look closely, those are Air Jordans you see on my feet. Addendum: Contrary to what the cutline says, I didn’t win a guitar.
Pictured, clipped from the online archives at JG-TC.com, an April 18, 1994 photograph, Journal Gazette of Sound Source Music Guitar Throwing Contest winner and current JG-TC employee Clint Walker.
vets

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Vette’s Teen Club, from the Journal Gazette June 20, 1991. I wasn’t “cool” enough to hang around behind Vette in his “heyday,” and by “cool enough” I mean “not practiced enough.” in parking lot fights”. If only I could dare now.
FutureGen

FutureGen: The End of the Beginning and Eventually the Beginning of the End, December 19, 2007, JG-TC. I wish I had paid more attention back then. I probably should have read the newspaper.
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