45: No Weeds Allowed in School Gardens! (But Don’t Panic if One Shows Up)

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Weeding might be the most dreaded chore for school garden volunteers, especially during the summer—but what if it didn’t have to be? In this episode, Leila challenges the common belief that weeds are inevitable in gardens. She breaks down why weeds show up, how our cultural biases shape our attitudes toward them, and how you can design your school garden to prevent them in the first place.

She also shares her favorite Permaculture trick for eliminating weeds before they even appear—plus the real reason why a volunteer rose plant didn’t stand a chance in her own backyard garden!

🌿 What You’ll Learn

• Why weeds are not a given in well-planned gardens
• How to design your school garden to minimize weeding
• What a “weed” really is (hint: it’s all about perspective!)
• Why bare soil is an open invitation for weeds—and how to prevent that
• The surprising benefits of weeds in some garden ecosystems
• How sheet mulching can be a total game-changer for weed control

🛠️ Mentioned in This Episode

• 🌼 Sheet Mulching – A powerful Permaculture technique you’ll want to try.
• 📚 School Gardens with Almost No Summer Maintenance – Includes a full "Weeds Module" with step-by-step strategies and downloadable guides. (Link in the show notes.)

📌 Key Takeaway

If your garden is full of weeds, it’s not a sign of failure—it’s nature doing her job. But with intentional planting and smart soil coverage, you can avoid weeding altogether… and finally enjoy a low-maintenance, student-led school garden.

👩‍🏫 Ready to Make Weeding a Thing of the Past?

Check out Leila’s class:
 👉 School Gardens with Almost No Summer Maintenance
Includes a full weeds module, spacing plans, PDF guides, and everything you need to ditch the weeding chore—forever.

🌻 Stay Connected

Thanks for tuning in! Subscribe, rate, and review if you’re loving the podcast—and come back next week for more tips to grow a thriving school garden with ease.