Weeds are like the unwanted guest in the garden. They arrive uninvited, consume the food and drink you have provided, take up space and encroach on the welcome guests already living there. Plus, they give nothing back. But, there is a way they can be made to contribute.

A major problem in disposing of pernicious weed roots and seedy weeds, is that they cannot be composted straight away. That leaves you with unsightly piles of the nuisance hanging around, until they have sufficiently withered to safely put in the compost and even then I am still nervous.

However, one disposal method not only rids you of the weeds but also gives payback to the garden. It goes back to Roman times so has some credibility.

Simply immerse pernicious roots and seedy weeds under water in a container, weigh down and leave for about a month. The weeds will then be rotted down sufficiently to be safely put on the compost. Plus, you get the added bonus of the remaining liquid being a good feed for the garden or to contribute to a richer compost.