Do you know which garden weeds are beneficial? Weeds can overwhelm even the most patient gardener. Increase the productivity of your permaculture garden by knowing how to harness the power of these five weeds.
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The Benefits of Garden Weeds
Recently, I wrote about the benefits of weeds. (See: When Weeds are Good.) I used to be so frustrated by weeds until I learned about their benefits. Now, I’m a much happier gardener!
Here are some of the things beneficial garden weeds do for us:
1: Weeds protect soil.
Weeds are fast growing, so they can quickly cover bare ground to protect it. Their roots hold soil together and keep it from eroding away in the wind or rain. Their presence can indicate the need for mulch to protect soil, i.e. more mulch can often mean fewer weeds.
See: Mulching in the Permaculture Garden
2: Weeds may fertilize soil.
Many weeds are said to accumulate vital nutrients from the subsoil and bring the nutrients into their leaves. Although the science on this phenomenon is a little spotty, we know that as green plant matter dies back, it enriches the soil.
The presence of certain weeds can indicate the need to enrich your soil. Of course, this is normal. Each time you harvest, you extract nutrients from the soil.
Read more about making your own worm castings and building a compost bin.
3: Weeds condition soil.
Decaying roots—especially deep taproots—add organic matter to the soil. They provide channels for rain and air to penetrate. Decaying roots also create tunnels for worms and other beneficial soil microbes. They help improve the no-till garden.
See: Transitioning to a No-Till Garden
4: Weeds attract beneficial insects.
Weeds are usually quick to sprout, yet short-lived. For this reason, they flower frequently in order to set seed for the next generation. The flowering and their dense foliage can attract beneficial insects looking for habitat or nectar.
Dandelion greens are a nutritious superfood.
How I Chose the following Top 5 Garden Weeds
It was a challenge to narrow this list down to just five beneficial weeds, because there are so many plants that can benefit the garden and reduce maintenance!
However, for this article, I focused on some common weeds that fill two important roles:
#1: They are said to accumulate nutrients. Although there isn’t a ton of research on this subject, I think it helps to have the mindset that nature knows what it’s doing and is sending plants to the rescue!
If these weeds do, in fact, accumulate nutrients, then it would reduce the amount of time and money I need to dedicate to fertilizer. The presence of these weeds may indicate exactly what nutrients my soil is lacking.
#2: They attract beneficial insects. This reduces the amount of time and money I must dedicate to battling pests.
By fertilizing and reducing pest populations, these weeds increase the productivity of my gardens.
On top of that, these weeds have medicinal properties and are nutritious edibles. Many of them would make excellent healing oils or herbal salves. I’ve indicated medicinal properties below.
Would you like to learn more about improving the biodiversity of your garden, reducing maintenance, and increasing yield?
You’ll find loads of information just like this in my award-winning book, The Suburban Micro-Farm.
Avoiding Herbicides
I hope that reading about some of the benefits of many common weeds has helped to dissuade you from using herbicides in your garden. However, did you know that some types of widely available herbicides can remain in the soil for years, contributing to stunted growth and lackluster performance?
These types of herbicides are called persistent, meaning that they do not readily biodegrade. It can also spread easily.
It’s now common to find herbicide contamination in compost bins (even if you don’t spray), in manure, and store-bought compost (even if you buy organic-approved soil).
In my opinion, given the challenge of keeping herbicides out of even the most ecologically sound garden, I would rather partner with these 5 beneficial weeds rather than fight with them.
Top 5 Garden Weeds
1. Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major)
Brought into North America by colonists, plantain often pops up where soil is compacted.
- Nutrient Accumulator: Plantain is said to accumulate calcium, sulfur, magnesium, manganese, iron, and silicon.
- Plantain has edible and medicinal properties.
How to use plantain in the garden:
Plantain benefits the soil if left to grow and die back on its own. For a tidier garden, cut the leaves back monthly and tuck them under the mulch, or lay them on top of the soil to naturally decompose.
Leave the roots intact—the plant will either regrow, or the roots will decay, enriching the soil and attracting beneficial soil organisms.
Broadleaf plantain
Photo by F.D. Richards via Flickr
2. Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Chickweed shows up in disturbed soil such as garden beds and highly tilled areas, indicating low fertility.
- Nutrient Accumulator: Chickweed is said to accumulate potassium and phosphorus.
- Beneficial Insects: Chickweed attracts pollinators searching for nectar in the spring and early summer.
- Chickweed has edible, lettuce-like greens and medicinal properties
How to use Chickweed in the garden:
Chickweed will benefit the soil if left to grow and die back on its own. For a tidier garden, cut the plants back monthly and tuck them under the mulch, or lay them on top of the soil to naturally decompose.
Leave the roots intact—the plant will either regrow, or the roots will decay, enriching the soil and attracting beneficial soil organisms. Note: Cutting it back will reduce its availability to pollinators.
Plantain and chickweed are both on my list of wild herbs to grow in my backyard pharmacy.
common chickweed
Photo by Simon via Flickr
3. Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)
The presence of lamb’s quarters is common in old farm fields, where chemical fertilizers were used in excess. Over time, these “weeds” will improve the soil quality.
- Nutrient Accumulator: Lamb’s quarters’ deep roots are said to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and manganese while loosening the soil.
- Highly nutritious edible properties when found growing in safe environments. The leaves go for a high price to local chefs.
How to use lamb’s quarters in the garden:
Lamb’s quarters will benefit the soil if left to grow and die back on their own. However, one plant can set over 75,000 seeds!
For a tidier garden, cut the plants back monthly so they can’t flower, and tuck them under the mulch, or lay them on top of the soil to naturally decompose.
Leave the roots intact—the plant will either regrow, or the roots will decay, enriching the soil and attracting beneficial soil organisms.
Lamb’s quarters
Photo by Wendell Smith via Flickr
4. White Clover (Trifolium repens)
White clover voluntarily shows up in nitrogen-lacking, dry fields and lawns that cover hardpan clay soil.
As an example, removing grass clippings routinely over time creates a lawn that lacks nitrogen.
- Nitrogen fixer: Nitrogen is necessary for plant growth, and clover helps to convert nitrogen into a useable form for neighboring crops.
- Nutrient Accumulator: Clover is said to accumulate phosphorus.
- Beneficial insects: Clover attracts ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, and pollinators looking for nectar. It provides shelter for parasitoid wasps, spiders, and ground beetles. Clover is a preferred egg-laying site for lacewings.
- White clover has edible flowers.
How to use White Clover in the garden:
Permanent Ground Cover:
White clover is often used as a permanent ground cover in orchard areas. It covers and protects soil and the shallow fruit tree roots. In the vegetable garden, white clover is often used in pathways, fertilizing nearby garden soil.
Here are the seeds I purchase for seeding in garden paths.
When white clover voluntarily appears in my vegetable garden, I allow it to remain in the spaces between plants. I trust that it voluntarily shows up in soil that is low in nitrogen. Prune it away from individual plants so that it doesn’t smother them.
White Clover
Photo by Hideyuki KAMON via Flickr
5. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion is one of the most common and arguably the most beneficial of all weeds. It often shows up in hard-pan clay soils, whether in gardens, old fields, or lawns.
- Nutrient Accumulator: Dandelion’s deep roots are said to accumulate potassium, phosphorus, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and silicon while loosening the soil.
- Beneficial insects: Dandelion attracts ladybugs and pollinators looking for nectar. It also attracts parasitoid wasps and lacewings.
- Dandelion has edible leaves, roots, and flowers with highly medicinal properties. In fact, it’s one of my favorite herbs for the medicine garden. (Yes, some people plant it on purpose!) I bought these seeds.
How to use dandelion in the garden:
Dandelion will benefit the soil if left to grow and die back on its own. However, one flower seed head can set over 100 seeds!
For a tidier garden, cut the leaves back monthly and tuck them under the mulch, or lay them on top of the soil to naturally decompose. Leave the roots intact—the plant will either regrow, or the roots will decay, enriching the soil and attracting beneficial soil organisms.
Note: Cutting them back will reduce their availability to beneficial insects.
Dandelion
Photo by Toshiyuki IMAI via Flickr
Beyond these Five Garden Weeds
Weeds are nature’s way of healing itself. If you have a garden weed that isn’t listed here, check out the book Weeds – Guardians of the Soil by Joseph Cocannouer.
Consider the root structure of the weed in question: Are they shallow roots and grow thickly on the ground? Perhaps their role is to hold the soil in place to prevent wind and water erosion. Mulching might help to reduce their presence.
Do the weeds have deep taproots? Perhaps their role is to loosen and enrich soil, much like comfrey fertilizer. Adding organic matter and using a digging fork to loosen soil might help.
Note: Some weeds — like poison ivy — are better eradicated from garden areas, even if they perform important ecological functions.
READ NEXT:
- 7 Reasons to Grow Calendula Officinalis
- How to Source Herbicide-Free Soil
- How to Prevent Soil Erosion in Gardens and on Farms
Do you see these five weeds in your garden? Has this changed your perception of them?
Jon says
I used to be pretty obsessive about “weeds” in the lawn but my wife has always reminded me of the quote that a weed is just a plant in the wrong place Nowadays the approach is more benign neglect; clover, daises, dandelions and plantains can be found in my lawn along with self heal (Prunella vulgaris).
With this come an increase in insect life, bees and butterflies. Nowadays when I look at the perfect lawn I just think “boring”.
Amy says
You hit the nail on the head – natural diversity is much more exciting than immaculate lawn 😉
Patrick (heliotropicmoth) says
I have all of those in abundance in my yard. People think I am crazy to collect dandelion seed and actually seed my yard with them. I also encourage creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea) in my yard. It is a great ground cover with medicinal and edible uses. Great post.
Amy says
Thanks for mentioning the creeping charlie. I let it roam where it wants to in the lawn, but I do try to keep it out of the garden beds. I would love to know more about its medicinal and edible uses!
daniel m newberg says
why do you not let it in your garden beds, is it too competitive? I do not want to Broadford my beds and I was hoping I could leave the creeping charlie alone and plant into it or let it grow around the base of my plants. what do you think?
Amy says
Give it a shot and see. 🙂 You could plant seedlings into it, but sowing seeds probably wouldn’t work.
Deidre says
Hah, when on walks with my kids I’ve been encouraging them to save the “wish flowers” they find to blow in the yard when we get home.
Amy says
That’s a good way to do it 🙂
Sydney says
I have found the creeping Charlie needs no encouragement!
Amy says
True story.
Micki says
I love the smell of creeping charlie. I never knew it was a useful plant! Thanks! (But in my definition, that makes it NOT a weed.)
shirley smith says
nice to know..I saw creeping charlie in my yard and I like it…but thought well its just a weed..live and learn thanks!
Sandra Phillips says
I love creeping Charlie! I have it in abundance in my yard and that and wild purslane are encouraged in my gardens.
Amy says
Where can you find creeping Charlie
Nate says
I enjoyed reading your article. I, too, have white clover growing in my vegetable beds, but unlike you, I have never let it grow in the spaces between plants. I usually rip the leaves off and throw them down as mulch, and patiently wait for it to grow back to provide me with more mulch.
I’m going to try letting it grow in the spaces next time. I was worried about nutrient leeching from my vegetables, but your article has me wondering if my fears are irrational.
Amy says
I think your method would work well, too. It would be interesting to do an experiment with one bed letting the clover grow and in another bed chopping and dropping the clover leaves as mulch, to see which provides a better yield. (mental note for next year’s garden!)
Beth says
We walked at Otto Armledder Park today and found all five of your beneficial weeds!!! I’ve used chickweed, plantain and dandelion in salads. What about lamb’s quarter? Edible?
This article is a stress reliever! Especially in this heat wave it’s nice to know the weeds are doing their thing and I don’t have to be out pulling them. Thanks, Amy.
Sandy says
Yes, lamb’s quarter is edible and delicious!
Jacquelyn @ LittleOwlCrunchyMomma says
This is great. I’ve slowly been unlearning my view of weeds that came from growing up in a RoundUp happy suburb. 🙂 I now think dandelions are delicious. 🙂 Never would have seen myself saying that ten years ago!
Amy says
Same for me! I was definitely not taught this view growing up!
Green Bean says
What useful information! Sharing.
Angi @ SchneiderPeeps says
Your pictures for identifying the weeds are really good. Other than the dandilion, I had no clue what they looked like. And that is my issue with weeds, I really need to get good at identifying them so I can use them. I’m putting those books on my Christmas list. Thanks for sharing with us at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.
Amy says
Hi Angi! I’m glad this post was useful for you. Thanks for hosting Simple Lives Thursday 🙂
Julia @ Simplicity for Julia says
I love this post from beginning to end. I have a deep appreciation for weeds, my favorite being dandelion. (and I have benefited from Plantain, too!)
Tom says
I haven’t seen lambs orders yet will be looking for them. One thing you forgot is that weeds make great chicken fodder, my girls good about half the weeds the garden is the rest. 1 question our mind games and poke salad the sign? One question are plantain and poke salad the same thing?
Amy says
Plantain and pokeweed are two different plants. Plantain grows low to the ground, while poke can grow to 6 feet and produce purple berries (poisonous to humans).
tom says
Thanks for the help. I guess I have poke salad but either way the chickens love it. The hard part is keeping them satisfied and providing a good mulch layer. Now to find a way to get rid of Bermuda grass. I’ve thought about a small thermonuclear blast but decided against it; probably just infuriate the cockroaches.
Kathy B says
Plantain is one plant my chickens ignore. It grows in their foraging area un
disturbed.
Allen carter says
The poison in Polk is the cure for cancer. I take about 20 of them every year with water & just swollen them. ( do not chew them ) they are horrible tasting. It is very high in Nitrogen which your body requires a small amount. The roots is very high in nitrogen , considered toxic. So be careful with it.
Abigail @ They're Not Our Goats says
Yes! I love this post! We always let the wood sorrel and purslane grow in patches in our garden as well. But several of these grow all over the yard! I always get upset when people kill dandelions and plantain… how useful they are! Sharing this post. 🙂
Yossi says
Does anybody have advice on how to deal with ground elder which spreads by rhizomes and is very persistent?
Amy says
Uggh. I call it “snow-in-the-mountain” and I have it in a section of my front yard planted by the previous owners. The only way I know to get rid of it is to smother it by sheet mulching: Cover it with cardboard topped with 6-12 inches of wood chips or soil.
Cheverly says
I just googled it to see what it was, and found a recipe for pesto using ground elder. Now I’m jealous I don’t have any in my yard now! It looked delicious!
Amy says
That would be a lot of pesto! 😀
Margaret says
Oh how I wish I had these weeds in my garden! I know that sounds crazy to wish for weeds, but I do share your thoughts of them! I have tried to purposely plant White Clover and it doesn’t seem to be coming up, unfortunately. I have an immense amount of weeds, I’ve never seen so many as this year. I know I have Purslane which is edible, however, one could founder on the amount I have, and it seems to suck up all the water away from my plants. Not an admirable quality in this dry region of MT. There are several other weeds I have, but I still don’t know what they all are. Thanks for this post, it is a good reminder that not ALL weeds are bad. I’m curious to look up my other weeds now and see if I really need to be spending hours upon hours pulling them. How do you deal with weeds becoming competitive? For space, sunlight, water, nutrients?
Amy says
How do I deal with weeds becoming competitive? Great question. I let weeds grow in the spaces between plants and rows, but I carve out a ring around each desired plant so that it has some breathing room and access to sunlight, etc. It ultimately depends on how nicely the particular crop and weed play together. If a crop plant seems like it is struggling, I will (as I mentioned above) cut back the weeds entirely and mulch with them, but let their root systems stay. The last resort–if the crop isn’t doing well–is pulling all the weeds out. Since that is the most labor-intensive step, I save it for last. Usually I don’t need to pull them all entirely.
I just found this class on edible weeds in Livingston, MT. It already passed, but it demonstrates some of the useful weeds found in your state, and what you can do with them 🙂
Patty says
Amy, on Creeping Charlie, I was unfamiliar w/the name but not the plant…looked it up on Wikipedia and there is a bit of explanation of it’s medicinal and culinary uses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea
We seem to have four of your top five. Missing is lamb’s quarters.
Amy says
It looks like that–as with most medicine–creeping Charlie should be taken in small doses and for short periods of time, rather than as a dietary staple. Good find!
Campbell says
I’m an advocate of purslane to add to the list! Packed with all sorts of goodness for your body and a great indicator of soil which need amending. I’m toying with planting as ground cover around the veggies..that or white clover…maybe a combo.
Anyone have thoughts on that?
Amy says
Purslane is another great one! Thanks for the reminder!
I think purslane would be a good ground cover in the veggie garden–edible, too! I would probably save white clover for pathways in the vegetable garden since it tends to be perennial and might smother plants.
Now I have to add purslane to my garden design 🙂
Denise says
what type of amendment would the soil eeed where purslane is growing? Never heard of an indicator plant like this.
Amy says
Phosphorus: I recommend rock phosphate mixed with worm castings.
jessica says
I have been fighting clover in my flower garden year after year. And the weeds. With a half acre you can imagine. I began weeding this morning, and I thought that when I do weed if I don’t mulch heavily the ground dries out fast, but I also didn’t want to weed as it lasts from now until September, even with mulching. I also grew up loving weeds. After reading this article and another, I am going to see what will happen this spring and summer if I just pull out the tall weeds and let the ground covers go, but also just pull clover out of my low lying plants. Last year I let the wild strawberries grow, and nothing bad happens; instead my plants came up through them, and the back yard didn’t need much weeding, and it kept in the moisture. Last year I also gave up and let the dollar weed grow. I planted it one year, and when it took over I got it all out. Well, I love it, so a friend gave me more, who cares what it does? chickweed is okay too now. But I am not a fan of dandelions. Maybe I can change my view on them and just cut off the flowers. Let the plantain grow too. But I am still thinking about that clover.
Amy says
I love that you have an open mind about the weeds! Lots of time spent weeding will eventually make you question whether or not it is necessary LOL. I do like a tidy garden, so I figure spending one day a month cutting the weeds back was easier than the constant weeding and seeking of perfection. Sounds like you have come to a similar conclusion. Good luck with your weed experiments! I hope you’ll let me know what worked for you 🙂
ClaudeA says
Jessica, kudos on the weeds you let grow! Go look up the healing properties of dandelion infused oil, the rich nutrient content, its wonderful tasting wine, dried rood healing properties. and the high nutrient and energy the fresh flowers have! I love to stuff a few handfuls into my mouth and chew the flowers into a fine, semi-sweet juice I swallow on hikes. The energy boost from a few in phenomenal!
Do you know all clovers absorb nitrogen in the air and store it in their roots, where other pant roots can feed on it, too? Clover is also one of farmers’ best between crops ground cover they grow then plow in for its many nutrients! Now, if you want really to maximize the nutrients of “weeds,” let them develop to maturity and harvest as compost material. Mix with 1/3 grass clippings and I add some brush to allow air to pass though the pile so it needs no turning, and you have awesome new soil for your garden every year!
Andy says
Ergh, I really want to get on board with this, but the truth is a few of these species are really noxious invasives (chickweed, lamb’s ear, white clover, etc.) For those of us interested in ecological preservation/ecosystem gardening, these plants can be really problematic when they escape cultivation (which they inevitably do, regardless of best intentions/practices). Just had to add my 2 cents…otherwise I’m loving the blog and all the work you’re doing; I just stumbled upon it recently and am looking forward to reading through your archives!
Amy says
A ‘noxious invasive’ is geographically specific. What’s noxious for one person may not be for another. As stated in the article above, these are not crops to plant, but rather, how to leverage their benefits while managing them in an ecologically friendly way. Ecological preservation starts with acknowledging that the conditions have changed (otherwise, we would only have natives growing). These non-natives tell us what the soil needs and is now well suited for. They inform us on how to restore ecology.
Linda Hassett says
I had been weeding out a lot of the above plants but lately it started to feel wrong. The article is great as it explains how to both keep the garden looking tidy and benefit from leaving the plants.
shirley smith says
Love this article I want to order your book asap Thanks!
Diane Murray says
Have you considered stinging nettle (urtica dioica) as a beneficial weed? I encouraged a patch in one corner of the property that I just sold. Young nettle plants are edible in many ways and when made into pesto it is fabulous! In rainy Washington I could depend on a second harvest in the fall when new baby plants sprouted before the first frost. Chopped mature plants are an excellent addition to compost. Nettle is easy to control because the roots are very shallow and pull up easily.
Amy says
Stinging nettle is another great one! Honestly too many to include in one post. It is a terrific nutrient boost to the compost pile. Although this is a great one to find at wood edges, it’s not often found in vegetable garden beds. 🙂
Caron LeMay says
I like what you have to say about invasives and appreciating wild plants – Have you read Rambunctious garden by Emma Marris? She posits that if we don’t learn to appreciate the weedy, non-pristine borders and empty lots of human civilization, that we miss a chance to enjoy nature where IT find US.
Karen Williams says
Lambsquarters – Yum! We’ve just been given a plot of land to grow veggies in this year, it had many lambsquarters growing in it so I harvested them before tilling the soil.
Amy says
Yay, delicious and nutritious food from nature!
Lisa says
Lambs quarters are the worst! Had a patch that grew to take over the ground above the entire three rows of our large septic system, at least as big as an average front lawn, probably more. Could not pull them fast enough. Tried burning them back, finally resorted to weedkiller (I can hear your gasps) but then we planted native grasses and I am still weeding out the occasional sprouts that come up, but it is so much better. Those things got to be as tall as me, and were about an inch or two apart, so very dense and all the side branches wove together like baskets (multiply that by 75,000 seeds per stem). If you can use native plants or allow them to fill in–native insects and birds will benefit the most, and its great for native bees which are super pollinators compared to Honey bees native bees.
Did you know that grass seed used to be mixed with white clover, ON PURPOSE? All legumes are nitrogen fixing, so it was self fertilizing lawns we used to get.
Amy says
I agree, could be frustrating if there is something else you’d rather have planted, but lambs quarters are great for healing the soil for free – nature’s healer. I wouldn’t suggest planting them, but certainly an amazing resource if you have them and can keep up with cutting them back so they don’t set seed. Once the soil is healed and no seeds are set, they die back.
Karen says
When we bought our northern Kentucky farm 12 years ago the lawn around the house was awful, full of bare spots and mud. It’s on the top of the ridge, and the soil was barely more than rocky clay. Instead of treating the yard, I just kept it mowed, allowing all but the most noxious weeds to flourish. We had dandelions, plantain, creeping charlie, and white clover, among other things.
Now the grass is lush, and has pretty much overtaken the “helper” weeds, except around the rock walk and porch. It’s pretty amazing, considering I really didn’t do anything to it.
Amy says
Thanks for sharing this beautiful example of how to work with weeds!
Keith says
I have all these “weeds” and more (wild buckwheat, ground ivy, purple dead nettles, purslane, shotweed, mallow, mullein) that always pop up around the veggie garden. Last year the garden got inundated with lambsquarters, which I didn’t mind seeing as they are very tasty and the chickens love them. Some weeds I try and pull before they go to seed – like shotweed, and other less intrusive ones I often just let them do their thing. Cut and leave as mulch on the paths. White clover I grow as a green living mulch and just love watching the bees get all excited as they bloom. It is a little work to keep them trimmed back to just growing in the footpaths, but the benefits far outweigh any extra work IMO.
Terry says
Wow we have all 5 of these growing here! Some people want us to removbe them but we are like no thanks we like our benifisal weeds lol.
Rebecca Mashhadian says
I love this post, thank you! I always had a soft spot for dandelions growing up, but watched my parents and other neighbors spend countless hours pulling, mowing, and poisoning them. I just intentionally seeded dandelions all over a large area of sheet mulch while cackling maniacally – I am a grownup I do what I want! My giant stinging nettle patch scares me but I’m challenging myself to embrace that too – it’s out of the way and a great source of compost materials (haven’t tried eating them yet).
Now the Himalayan blackberries are another story here in the PNW…those I can’t leave alone or they’ll cover my whole house like Sleeping Beauty’s castle!