My 2011 Weeding Vow

It is quite possible that I am the the most latent of weeders in gardening history. I certainly am in my own neighbourhood {in recent memory at least!}.

This is something that I have both been proud of and rather ashamed of. Proud because I am usually able to get a good harvest even if the weeds seem to be taking over, and I can generally put the weeds to good use too. Ashamed because a part of the reason I avoid weeding is because I am lazy.

There. I said it!

Both of our veggie patches this year will be grown in rows and we will be mulching the pathways with cardboard and news paper. We want to grow clover on top of this because it is supposed to keep everything else down and when we cut it, it apparently makes a nice mulch for garden beds.

So my 2011 weeding vow is to yank out any of the following that is found within a foot of any of the beds:

Black Bindweed/Wild Buckwheat

{Polygonum convolvulus}

Photo source

It is very likely that I would leave another bindweed Convolvulus sepium alone as it is quite useful in magic. However, Black Bindweed will not get a chance to grow in our beds this year if I can help it. I had to cut these guys off of various crops last year. If left they can "hug" other plants to death.

Prickly Lettuce
{Lactuca serriola}

Photo by the weed one

Even though this weed is edible and I find the flowers to be quite charming, it is not welcome in the beds this year. We had a couple Prickly Lettuce beasts last year that did a number on whoever past them.

Spiny Sow Thistle
{Sonchus asper}

Photo source

Spiny Sow Thistle is another weed with pretty little flowers that is a meanie to passers-by...especially to those with sandals on. :(

Hairy Crab Grass
{Digitaria sanguinalis}

Photo source

With the amount of Hairy Crab Grass we have popping up, one could almost think that we didn't bother with lifting the sod for the garden beds! Grrr.

At this point everyone else is safe. ;)

Sláinte!

Laurel