Eli5 Why are weeds so hard to kill while desirable plants so hard to keep alive?

Question

Weeds grow, well, like weeds, out of the cracks of the pavement with nothing but municipal runoff to keep them alive. Meanwhile I have to work tirelessly to keep my tomato and pepper plants happy and fruitful. Why do weeds dominate a garden?

In: 61

Answer 1

Because that’s the definition of a weed. A weed is not a botanical or taxonomic classification, it’s a word used to describe certain plants that are undesirable and hard to kill. So, if it weren’t hard to kill, it wouldn’t be a weed.