Northern Shade Gardening

Here is an easy method for getting rid of weeds in sidewalk cracks and between patio stones. I’ve found it to be very effective, and it’s completely non-toxic. I use boiling hot water for killing weeds in the gaps, and have found it to be very successful at removing just about all of the weeds. You can see in the pictures below how well it works.

I carry the boiling water into a coffee carafe with a lid and pour spout for safety. It wouldn’t be a safe idea to be moving open pots of boiling water. I wear enclosed boots for safety. I also make sure to pour it down low and away from myself, so it doesn’t splash up, while killing the weeds.

I just pour the boiling water on the weeds in the cracks, and most look like cooked vegetables a few hours later. Most weeds are dead the next day. I’ve found a few established weeds might need a second treatment, if they haven’t died in a few days.

I usually use this method of killing weeds in early summer, but it’s a little later this summer, so some of the weeds got a little big before the boiling water treatment. Within a few days, the weeds have usually crumpled into tiny dessicated pieces that disappear. A week or so later, you hardly see anything left.

Here are some before and after shots of the weeds that were killed in my sidewalk and driveway. The old weed on the top half, and the dead weed on the bottom half. I should have set up little signs, as after a day it was much harder to recognize individual weeds.

weeds before and after boiling water

Here is a before and after photo of the weed killing in action. The bottom of the picture was taken 4 hours after the boiling water was applied. You can see how quickly this one died.

weeds before and after boiling water 3

The bottom half shows the pineapple weed the day after applying the boiling water to kill the weed. This might not be the exact same pineapple weed as I had trouble matching up the dessicated leaves. Within a day they are dried up and breaking down after the boiling water kills them.

weeds before and after boiling water 2

This shows another weed, knotweed, before and 2 days later, now dead after the boiling water application.

I usually apply the boiling water once in early summer, and that’s all that’s needed for the season. It’s highly effective at killing weeds. I don’t know if those with a longer growing season might need to do it more than once. I’ve been using the boiling water method for 3 years and have been very pleased with the results.

What I like about this method of killing weeds is that it is completely safe for the environment, your family and animals, with no toxic lingering effects. It is perfectly safe for pedestrians and pets walking down the sidewalk in front of my house. Using boiling water is the fastest, easiest and most non-toxic method for weed killing between patio stones, driveway sections and sidewalk blocks.

We wanted to have a Hottest January 15 Ever Party here in Alberta, but it was  a little hard with Mr. Arctic Air Mass hanging around all the time. He tends to bring the mood of the party down, running around knocking people’s hats off, and pinching their ears and noses. We all chipped in to send Mr. Arctic Air Mass on a winter vacation, taking a tour of the south.

Like the other snowbirds, he packed his bathing suit and shorts, and headed south of the Canadian border to have some fun. He volunteered to bring the party ice. We hope you are showing him some Southern hospitality. We understand he’s applying for a green card now.  Our border guards have strict instructions not to let him back into Alberta.

Woohoo, we made it up to 4° C (39° F), not quite the 7° C (44° F) record high that was predicted, but still a pretty good party. We’re planning to extend the party, so could you keep him busy a little longer? Excuse me while I check out the palm section of the garden catalogue.

Here are some of the ornaments on my Christmas tree.

brown bird in nest

The birds are from when I was young and belonged to the Young Naturalist Society. My father enrolled me in their bird of the month club. Each month I received a new bird in the mail, and now about 50 of them perch or nest in the Christmas tree. I got my love of nature, the outdoors and gardening from my father.

heart wreath

The tiny wreaths, boxes and cross stitch are ornaments I made. The little present ornaments are wrapped with paper that I hand printed. I carved the design and used ink to print them on tissue paper.

fireplace fire

Here is a fire in my fireplace to add extra warmth on our cold frosty days of -30° C (-22° F). On Christmas the wind chill is supposed to be -39° C (-38° F). This will be a good test for the hardiness of some of the new plants I added this year.

Christmas bears

The Christmas bear family wish you a Merry Christmas.