Lamb's-Quarter Control

Till or plow fallow areas. When the ground temperature hits 50–60 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring, you will notice a lot of changes take place. Assuming there is any soil moisture whatsoever, the seeds that have been sitting dormant all winter are going to be springing into life. Now is the time to get out the old hoe and get to work on your garden. If your space is a little too big to handle manually, you need to invest in a tiller. If your garden more closely resembles a field, maybe a plow is in order. When you are planting your garden, leave enough room between rows and plants to run a tiller. It makes weed control a lot easier.

Apply selective preemergent herbicides. Preemergent herbicides are a different breed of chemicals. As their name implies, they prevent a seedling from emerging from their seed and growing into an adult plant. Unfortunately, these chemicals don't last long, so you need to apply them at the right time or they will just become too diluted to be therapeutic. Check the packaging of your herbicide for more specific instructions. They are usually applied in early fall (September–November) and early spring (March–May) depending on your latitude or frost zone. Some brands to look for include Weed Impede, Snapshot, Barricade, and Dimension. Corn gluten is said to have a similar effect without all the chemicals.

Use mulch to prevent plant growth. In nature, the layers of dead plants and debris build up over the years and decays. This provides nutrients to future plants but also prevents other plants from growing in that area. We should imitate this natural weed control method, but instead we often prefer the bare-earth garden style. Mulch can be composted from grass clippings, animal bedding, layers of newspaper, shredded wood, straw, landscaping fabric, or even plastic sheeting. Layering these materials and leaving an opening for the plants you want will choke out the ones you don't. In some cases, impermeable mulches like plastic will necessitate the installation of a drip hose.

Choke out young lamb's-quarter with cover crops. Another route to controlling lamb's-quarter and other pasture weeds is to plant a cover crop in a fallow area. If you plan to have grazing animals on an area, plant a bulk pasture mix from your grain store. Other options include alfalfa, clover, and grains like oats, wheat, barley, and rye. These should be planted in early spring after you have tilled the ground the first time after winter. Giving your cover crops a head start will help prevent the weeds from having a chance to prosper. Added bonus: You can harvest the grains and make some wicked awesome bread.

Kill all plants before they produce seeds. Whatever you should choose to use to control lamb's-quarter, maybe just one option, maybe all of the above, make damned sure you don't allow the plant to mature and produce seeds. Since the plant isn't a perennial, it can only grow from seeds every year. You have an opportunity to end the cycle here and now by not allowing new seeds to take root. You should know that seeds in the soil can lay dormant for decades and bird droppings can contain weed seeds, so you're never completely free. But there is no reason to add to the problem with a fresh batch of seeds. If it comes down to it, you may have to bend down and just pull the weed by hand.