How to Prevent Growth of New Weeds in Raspberries

Plan ahead by destroying any perennial weeds that grow in the area in which you want to plant the raspberries. Examples of perennial weeds include bindweed and quackgrass. This helps prevent any future growth of these weeds in the planting area.

Sow a cover crop in the garden area to improve the quality of the soil, an act that deters future weed growth. To sow a cover crop, plow buckwheat, oats or rye into the soil prior to planting the raspberries. Find more information on the act of sowing cover crops in the Resource section.

Place a dense sod around the raspberry patch and in between rows. Use sod seeds, rather than using sod already formed from grass species since it likely will contain some weed seeds that will invade the area. Sod helps prevent weeds from growing in the garden.

Apply a biodegradable mulch, such as straw mulch or woodchips, in rows around the raspberries. If placed early enough in the season prior to allowing weed seeds to germinate, the mulch prevents new weeds from popping up. Make sure the mulch does not have weed seeds as one of its ingredients.

Hoe at regular intervals and dig up any perennial weeds found. Using a tool like the weed whip also helps control further growth of weeds in the planting area.

Cultivate the soil. The act of cultivating improves the quality of soil, and you can do this by using a tiller or breaking up large clumps of soil with a shovel. Do this several times during the spring and summer.