Q: I have an ongoing issue with common chickweed in my backyard – and this year it's spread from my flower beds to the vegetable patch nearby. What can I do to get rid of it for good?
A: Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a common weed with white, very short-lived flowers. Although annoying, it's one of the easier interlopers to deal with, as you may be pleased to hear. It's an annual with no stubborn roots to dig up – unlike dandelions. However, it completes numerous life cycles within one growing year, as Lucy Chamberlain, a fruit-and-veg-growing expert reveals. During this time, it produces a huge amount of seeds, which means it spreads rapidly. 'It’s also relatively hardy,' she adds.
