Garden Series: Using Weeds to Read the Soil

By Tim Goodwin

April 16, 2025

Source: Almanac

Photo Source: Unsplash,

• 4:0

Read your weeds! They are an indicator of your soil’s health. If you have large patches of one kind of weed, your garden is trying to tell you something. Here are common weeds and what they say about your soil, plus photos. Let us know what you learn!

When weeds arrive, it’s often an index of what is wrong (though sometimes what is right) with the soil. For example, weeds with deep taproots, such as dandelions and burdock, indicate compacted soil lacking in water, air, and nutrients.

However, weeds are also nature’s way of repairing the soil for a more stable, healthy system. In the case of dandelions and burdock, their deep, strong roots also help break up that soil. 

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