Organic gardeners, who avoid chemical weed killers, often despair when faced with a plot of land choked with persistent weeds such as quack grass or couch grass, bind weed or ground elder. While couch grass has some medicinal properties, and some wild food enthusiasts consider ground elder a tasty vegetable, persistent weeds present a real challenge to organic gardeners as they are very difficult to remove by hand and they re-grow very readily.

Woven heavy-duty horticultural polypropylene weed control matting offers a simple, organic way to kill persistent weeds. Lay overlapping strips of weed control matting over the ground that you wish to clear, for a new vegetable plot, for example. Secure the edges of the matting very carefully, either using specially designed staples or pins, or using rocks or other heavy weights. These anchors must be secure enough to prevent high winds from lifting up the sheets. If you wish, apply compost or other organic matter, such as grass clippings or fallen leaves, to the soil before you lay the weed control matting over the top. The organic matter will rot down and be mixed into the soil by earthworms throughout the year to leave a beautiful, friable weed free soil.