Potatoes are often the first crop grown on a new site because they help maintain a clean ground for subsequent plants. Mulches may be applied to stifle weed growth. The depth of the mulch should be 2.5 to 5 centimetres thick. Black plastic laid directly upon the soil surface prevents annual weeds from becoming established. To improve the appearance of the plastic it should be covered with bark mulch.
Black plastic is particularly effective and useful in the vegetable garden.
One can make slits in it through which one's crops can grow. Once weeds are established in flower beds and borders or the vegetable garden hand weeding, hoeing and forking are often the only practical ways of removing them. Patches of Quack grass , for example, may be forked out but great care must be taken not to leave behind sections of rhizomes in the soil. To prevent weeds from appearing in a lawn good lawn care is essential. Actually, the presence of numerous weeds in a lawn usually indicates that the grass is not growing as vigorously as it should.