Weeding tips at Whanganui home garden workshop

Nelson Lebo gives a workshop about backyard gardening at the Whanganui Learning Centre. Photo / Bevan Conley

Weeds are "the absolute destroyer of people's morale when it comes to home gardening" and Whanganui eco-educator Nelson Lebo has tips to beat them.

He gave a free workshop on home gardening at the Whanganui Learning Centre on September 4, as part of the Festival of Adult Learning.

He advocates garden beds 1.2m wide. The gardener reaches into them from either side, and never walks on the soil to compress it.

Weeding is done with a hoe, once a week on a sunny and windy day.

"Ninety-five per cent plus of weeding is done and you never bend over."

His own garden near Whanganui uses those methods, and over years they destroy all the weed seeds in the top 2-3cm of soil.

"I have got garlic in my garden bed at the farm. There is no weed germination coming up in the bed. Four years ago it was a jungle of weeds."

About 15 people went to the free workshop, which was funded by Adult and Community Education Aotearoa (ACE).

They asked questions about how much sun a garden needs, how to build soil fertility and how to make compost, Lebo said.

His Kaitiaki Farm features in the Permaculture Weekend on September 7 and 8. Details about the events are at ecothriftylife.com.