National Weed Your Garden Day

National Weed Your Garden Day is a holiday observed annually on June 13th. This holiday encourages everyone to take a few extra moments to remove the weeds from their gardens. One of the primary reasons for removing weeds is that they compete with the plants you are trying to grow.

Weeds divert nutrients away from your plants’ roots, crowd them out of sunlight, and make them more susceptible to attacks from garden pests. That’s why it’s important for everyone with a garden to take the time to weed it, not only on this day but throughout the growing season.

Some Informative Facts About Weeds

Since we’re discussing weeds for National Weed Your Garden Day, we thought we’d share some facts about weeds that we know.

  • More than 200 weed species have developed resistance to the herbicides used to kill them.
  • Weeds cause more yield loss to farmers than insects, diseases, rodents, and deer.
  • Some weeds may increase the risk of wildfires in certain areas.
  • Some weeds are extremely poisonous.
  • Weeds such as common ragweed can trigger allergic reactions.
  • Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
  • Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) can cause irreversible liver damage to cattle, sheep, and horses if these animals consume it.

Observing National Weed Your Garden Day

Although the name of this holiday aptly describes how it should be celebrated, we’ll still take a moment to discuss it. This holiday should be celebrated by dedicating time to weed your garden.

It’s also a good day to remind your gardening friends that they should weed their gardens. If you cannot tell them in person, then do so over the Internet using the hashtag #NationalWeedYourGardenDay.

When is it?
This year (2024)
June 13 Thursday
Next year (2025)
June 13 Friday
Last year (2023)
June 13 Tuesday
Topic
Nature & Environment