Wherever there's bare soil, there'll be weeds, so cover up the garden with mulches, plants and paving to eliminate weeds and weeding.

But before you cover up, let the weeds grow in order to kill them off with an appropriate weedkiller. Otherwise those with persistent roots will send their shoots up again and again.

If you're not quite ready to start on the garden after spraying, cover as much bare ground as possible with black plastic to prevent further weed growth.