Making fertiliser from weeds
It may sound strange, but you can make fertiliser from weeds and use it to your advantage in the garden. Mind you: we are not talking about the whole weed, because the seeds in the flowers, the flower buds and the roots cannot be used. The stems and leaves, however, can be used as they contain minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron and copper. These are very valuable for the garden.

You can shred the stems on the compost heap or make liquid manure from them. The latter is also called slurry and is much quicker and easier to make than compost. To do this, leave the weed pieces to rot in a bucket of rainwater and pour this in with the garden plants. Especially potted plants love this.

More butterflies in the garden
Butterflies can’t resist weeds and therefore love to visit a garden with nettles. Butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of nettle leaves, which caterpillars love. So if possible, reserve a small corner of the garden for nettles.

Dandelions also make friends with butterflies and insects. Dandelions are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring and that is exactly the time when butterflies and bees wake up after a cold winter and want something. Dandelions provide nectar and pollen and contain proteins that the animals need at that time.