How to Kill Weed Seeds in a Vegetable Garden

The benefit of having a backyard vegetable garden is having access to fresh, nutrient-dense vegetables; the downside, though, is without diligent maintenance, weeds will overtake the veggie plants rather quickly. Luckily there are many remedies for dealing with unwanted weeds, but one common method is to prevent weeds from seeding in the first place, thus preventing them from growing and eventually choking off your vegetable plants.

• 1

  Dig your bed or beds in your garden space one month ahead of the frost date in your area. These dates vary greatly from state to state due to climate, elevation, etc; if you don't know your area's projected frost date, consult the USDA.gov website to locate the date for your area.

• 2

  Measure the dimensions of the entire garden space (not just your garden beds). Roll out the black landscaping plastic and cut strips that equal the width and length of the garden. Saturate the soil in the garden space with water.

• 3

  Cover the garden with the black plastic strips (leave no soil visible) and place several stones on the corners and in the interior of each strip to prevent them from blowing away in windy conditions. Remove the stones and the plastic strips after approximately three to four weeks and set aside.

• 4

  Re-dig the soil in only the beds to prepare them for seeding. Plant your seeds as you normally would. The sun will have caused seeded weeds in the area to die from excessive heat, and you can re-use the plastic as mulch around the landscaping around your garden.