The War of the Weeds

We were only gone a week. But in that time, my garden went berserk.

The crops grew; but the weeds grew faster. I've spent the better part of this week weed-whipping, hoeing, tilling and finally inching down each row hand-pulling the weeds. I knew if I didn't get them under control now, they would completely take over and all the hard work of planning and planting my garden would be lost. The weeds would win.

It helped that we got a nice rain last night. It made pulling up the weeds and grasses much easier this morning, even if it was a bit muddy. One of my main targets was pigweed. I thought it got its name because the roots are bright pink; but evidently it is because it is often used for pig fodder. Guess I'm glad it's good for something. If only I had pigs....

An upside down view of pigweed. 

I'm not yet done. My plan is to clean up as much of the garden as possible and then put down cardboard, with a thick layer of straw between each row and around the plants. Makes me wish I had a much smaller garden.

On Monday morning I started my weed work in one of the raised beds. The big garden was just too overwhelming. Once I pulled up all the cabbage and kale that had been eaten to the ribs by some mean slugs, I harvested all the beets and carrots. Pulling up the weeds in that small space was pretty easy. I now need to replant the bed with something that likes hot and dry weather. Hmmm...must consult Maggie.

I took a load of pea vines, cabbages, sorrel, kale, and bolted lettuces over to my neighbor. We stood at her fence and fed her long-haired sheep and Beulah, the donkey. It was like a jumbo salad bar and they seemed most appreciative.

Working out on our ping-pong table, I cut the beets from the greens. I washed and spun dry the beet greens and have been sauteeing them for our meals all week. Last night, we had a mess of them with a fried egg on top. I roasted some of the beets, but have plans to can a number of pints to use all year in our salads. Hmmm...must consult Maggie for her red-wine pickled beet recipe.

The carrots are beautiful and taste completely different from the baby ones you get in a plastic bag at Krogers. They taste like, well, like carrots.

I'm done for the day today. It is raining hard outside and there is nothing I like better than a summer rain. I'm just afraid that the weeds will like it too and will use it to boost their growth rate. We'll have to see who wins.