Growing your own garden gives you access to delicious vegetables throughout the growing season. Unfortunately, maintaining your vegetable garden can become difficult when weeds begin to grow. Rather than turning to chemical weed killers that might contaminate your vegetable plants, keep weeds clear of your garden the natural way.

Here are three all-natural ways you can prevent weeds in your vegetable garden in the future.

1. Sprinkle cornmeal on the ground.

Keeping weeds at bay without relying on toxic chemicals could be as easy as raiding your kitchen pantry for a bit of cornmeal. The same ingredient you use to bake cornbread can act as a deterrent for weeds. Cornmeal contains a type of gluten that acts as a birth control for weeds. Seeds that are exposed to cornmeal gluten will not germinate, which means weeds will never grow in your garden.

If you plan to use cornmeal as a natural weed killer, be sure that you wait until after your vegetable plant seeds have germinated before spreading the cornmeal through your garden. The same gluten that prevents weeds from growing could also stop your veggie plants from germinating, but the gluten will not affect seeds that have already sprouted.

2. Turn existing weeds into an asset through hoeing.

Once weeds have sprouted in your garden they can compete with vegetable plants for sun and water. Rather than hand weeding these pesky plants (which can be hard on the back and knees), try investing in a hoe instead.

Hoeing allows you to cut weeds off at the root, and gives you the opportunity to compost your weeds into the soil. Any organic vegetation - including weeds - will decompose and put nutrients back into the soil. Hoeing can turn your weeds into an asset by increasing the nutrient content of the soil in your vegetable garden.

3. Use vinegar to kill off mature weeds.

When you discover a mature weed plant in your vegetable garden, using a vinegar solution to kill it could be an easy way to get rid of the unwanted foliage. Liquid from a gallon of cheap, undiluted white vinegar from your local grocery store can be sprayed directly onto a mature weed. This all-natural weed killer will get results fast, with weeds dying off without a fuss.

Since white vinegar could harm your vegetable plants if they are accidentally sprayed, it's best to use a pump sprayer or spray bottle to better control flow. You should also plan to spray weeds on a calm, wind-free day to prevent any vinegar from blowing onto your veggies during application.

Managing weeds doesn't require the use of toxic chemicals. Keep the veggies in your garden chemical-free while keeping weeds at bay by using cornmeal, hoeing, or white vinegar to get rid of unwanted weeds. Talk with a place like Snyder's Weed Control if you need more tips or help with your garden.