Gardener shares 'win-win' strategy to keep weeds at bay in your yard and garden: 'Within a week, the weeds will have died back'

If you have a backyard garden, you know the struggle with weeds. Sometimes, rather than trying to pull each unwanted plant out, it's easier to cover everything over. One gardener on Instagram has explained his favorite method for eliminating a bed full of annoying weeds. 

The scoop

Philip Longo (@earthnailsandtails) shares gardening and homesteading tips and tricks on his Instagram page, from harvesting garlic to keeping chickens. In one clip, he gave viewers the how-tos of getting rid of a large swath of weeds. 

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A post shared by Philip Longo | Gardening Coach (@earthnailsandtails)

Start by using a heavy pole or board to flatten out the growth. Philip can be seen using a board tied to a string that he can drag along and press down into the weeds. Once your weeds have been flattened, cover them with cardboard and leave these covers on your weeds..

"Within a week, the weeds will have died back, creating the perfect mulch," Philip explains, noting that he then plants new crops on the soil beneath the weeds.  

"It's a win-win!" he wrote in the caption. 

While Philip says you can also use a plastic tarp to smother your weeds, cardboard is the more eco-friendly choice, as it'll prevent toxic microplastics from contaminating the soil.

How it's helping

First, this method saves a lot of time and money. No need to bend down to meticulously remove each unwanted plant, buy environmentally harmful chemical weed-killers, or make a special trip to the store to purchase mulch, which can also be quite expensive. 

Leaving the dead weeds to decompose will reinvigorate the soil, adding back in needed nutrients. It's similar to adding compost to your beds. While Philip's method may not be the most widely known, it's also received positive buzz from brands like MarthaStewart.com. 

Moreover, saving money on the gardening process can help make it even more lucrative to grow your own food. Home hobbyists can save hundreds of dollars a year at the grocery store by cultivating their own fruits and veggies, doing something beneficial for their physical and mental health in the process. 

Gardening also helps lower reliance on mass-produced food, which reduces air pollution associated with shipping and contributes to a better appreciation of the world around us. As the World Economic Forum points out, understanding where our food comes from helps us realize its environmental impact, meet our nutritional goals, and help cut down on food waste. 

What everyone's saying

While some viewers seemed skeptical of this tip, others were thrilled to give it a try. 

"I have sod in my yard, and I'm already sick of it … but I'm planning to do just this so I can cut the plastic netting, " one person wrote. 

"I did something similar but instead just weed-whacked the bed first and then covered it," someone else shared. 

"Just remember to do the covering (killing) before seed heads form, or you'll just guarantee new weeds," advised another home gardener. "If heads [have] formed, cut them off, and either compost or put in the trash." 

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