What’s with all the weeds?
Posted on June 18th, 2008 – 8:25 AMBy Connie Nelson
So I was out of town for the weekend, came home Sunday night to the same gardens I had left Friday night. Only something was different: Weeds!
My garden beds, the pots, even the cracks in the sidewalk were overrun with weeds. I could hardly see the soil beneath them, let alone the plants. How could this happen in just one weekend?
Most of them were itty bitty elms, courtesy of the massive elm tree in the backyard. But I also had a nice assortment of uninvited maples, buckthorn, some wood sorrel, a few deep-rooted dandelions, chickweek, plantain, vetch and a smattering of crabgrass. I’m not even counting the creeping Charlie. (That was the first green thing in my garden this spring.)
I dropped by bags and started weeding then and there. Kept at it until the sun went down, vowing the whole time that I was going to mulch this week, darn it.
I blame my weed infestation on the lack of mulch and the surplus of rain. But maybe I have way with weeds. My plants are doing nicely, but the weeds, well, I have to say they’re growing spectactularly.
I’m thinking of giving up the whole ornamental thing and just growing weeds. Some of them bloom rather nicely (think knotweed, bindweed, some of the thistles). And I already know they’re easy to grow. Anybody want to become a weedener like me?
20 Responses to "What’s with all the weeds?"
I had very nearly the same experience, Connie. Only it happened under my un-watchful eye. Seems like the weeds in my garden jumped up and grew a foot overnight. I see weeds when I close my eyes at night.
I see weeds when I open my eyes!
On the plus side, I have to say I’m getting very good at weed identification. I can distinguish a weed sprout from a plant sprout at 50 paces!
If only we could train cutworms to like weeds more than veggies/flowers! I always let some of the sorrel grow around my salad greens, it’s a wonderful tangy addition. Also, they’re only weeds if you don’t want them there, so “weedener” might be a misnomer.
I was kind of doing a play off gardener. . . but I am friends with some weeds. I do like the taste of sorrel. Someone gave me a great recipe for garlic mustard pesto and I like it better than the basil stuff. And I recently had sauteed greens that were mostly nettle and lamb’s quarters. Darn good.
One question, how to you keep the sorrel (which looks like cute little cloverleafs) from taking over?
I just moved into a new home and the previous owners left me a mess of weeds in the garden. I know what you mean about hardly being able to see the soil beneath them. I can’t see it at all. There’s grass growing there too. I’m new to gardening. So, what’s the best way to rid of them? Will I have to cover with mulch if I don’t want to weed my summer away?
Kay, there are lots of ways to get rid of weeds. Pulling is one. It works best when you have plants that you don’t want to kill in among the weeds. If you want to get rid of the whole thing and start over, you can just cover the area with plastic, cover the plastic with mulch and wait for the weeds to die. (It’ll take a couple of weeks. Less time if the weather heats up.)
If you want to use chemicals, you can try Round-Up. It kills everything. It also stays in the soil for about 2 weeks, so you’d have to wait a bit to plant.
How do the rest of you deal with your weeds?
Kay - My fav way to kill weeds is to mow the patch down, cover with a thick layer of newspapers (at least a 1/2 inch), then cover the newspapers with free wood chips. I did this to the nasty patch in my back yard last spring. So far only two rogue thistles have found their way through!
You’re right, Jaime. Newspaper works, too. Plastic is a bit faster because it heats up the soil, which kills the weeds more quickly. My problem with using newspaper is that it takes me forever to lay it down. I always start reading!
This year, my most troublesome weeds are the offspring of last year’s morning glories. Seza (my next-door neighbor and partner in crime) and I decided that morning glories would be a great way to cover the chain-link fence between our yards. It worked wonderfully, for a while. Then the little buggers started taking over everything! They continue to haunt us this year — I’m sure I’ve killed hundreds of them in baby-helicopter form. My favorite tool has become a very sharp and pointy weeding hoe.
Well, there are nice plants in there, so I don’t think I want to pull them out and start over. I guess I’m just going to have to get down and dirty and pull those babies out… Thanks for your tips on how to suffocate those stinkers. It may come in handy someday.
Go for it, Kay!
Remember, it’s easiest to pull weeds when the soil is soft. So water well or get in the garden after a rain.
If you need to use chemicals on a few particularly nasty weeds, there’s alternative to spraying. Put on a rubber gloves then soak a cotton glove in Round-Up and put on that glove over the rubber glove. Then grab the weed at its base and run the glove up to the top of the plant. It’ll kill the weed, but not any of the nearby plants.
I’ve got thousands and thousands of baby elms (or cottonwoods?) in my newly mulched bed so don’t think the mulch will save you from those–they’re not picky. On the up side, the little guys come out pretty easily and don’t come back like dandelions and creeping charlie.
Sue,
Can you kind of mush the mulch around with hoe to dislodge the weeds? That’s usually my plan. Doesn’t work all the time, tho . . .
Kay, I have also found a soothing beverage of your choice consumed while weeding helps ease the task immensely! Just be careful you don’t get ticketed for GWI!(I will readily own I totally stole that from the wonderful gardening blog by the same name.)
GWI (Gardening While Intoxicated) is a fun blog. Thanks for the tip, Judybusy.
If you do a Google search on “Gardening While Under the Influence,” you may find a kooky video on gardening under the influence of salvia . . .
Connie, I have you and the other Green Girls to thank for GWI—it’s written by one of the Garden Rant writers, a blog listed on your site. I’ve really enjoyed travelling around the different blogs, as each one lists _their_ favorite blogs.
Preen works like magic to keep the weeds from growing. I use it every spring and fall and I hardly have any weeds I have to pull.
Yes people, use PREEN!!! Pull your weeds then sprinkle Preen down (a little extra is ok). It won’t kill the existing weeds but stops new ones from sprouting. I learned years ago. So listen to Amy and I and go get some today!
I’ll try the mulch re-arrangement this weekend and see if it works. Otherwise, I think I might try the GWI method–beer and weeding in the shade seems like an okay way to pass an afternoon, maybe a margarita would be better though.
beer in bottle, not margarita in glass…and keep the cap handy so you can cover the bottle or else risk attracting other ummm comsumers of said sweet liquids….beware and be aware not all God’s creatures are good at sharing.
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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