I’ll show you my weeds …
On THE Internet you get all kinds of requests. Pleas Madam, if you could jus send me 2,140$ I would be most gratful. Yesterday I got the best one EVER from a fellow garden tweeter asking to see my weeds. I spent all Sunday afternoon pulling out this pile below and was asking if weeds need special treatment in composting. She wanted to make sure none of my weeds were of potential medicinal value. So, weed aficionados, here are my weeds. These are the main ones I’m battling in the veggie garden beds. I don’t use weed killers, just my hands, and I now have “weed pulling callouses.” I’m on the verge of Seinfeld’s dubious “MAN HANDS.”
3 Comments
Angelyn
Paige, it took me a while to find this blog post as referred to by @spirithorseherb on Twitter. I used to live in the piedmont region of NC. Some of these weeds I recognize, some not. Here's my take. . . the first photo of the succulent- looking plant between the red brick/block is unfamiliar to me. The next photo shows a variety of lespedeza (really hard to pull out and it needs a shovel to dig out the roots). The next plant is a new one to me. That's followed by a lovely patch of grass which is always challenging to keep out of the garden area. Within that grass — and in the final photo — you have young mimosa trees growing. I love the mimosa tree for its beautiful pink feathery flowers and fragrance. However, many folks find it to be "messy" and it is also considered to be an invasive. Of all the plants you have pictured (and which I recognize), I do not think you have anything medicinal or edible. The best time to really identify a plant is when it flowers. Then it is more likely to be in a field guide. As to your concern about composting the plants, if they have not flowered (and therefore set seed), I think you'll be fine to compost them.
paige.puckett
Angelyn, thanks for the help! That first one between the bricks is most likely violet. I had a lot pop up in that area before digging up the garden this spring. That second one is hard to pull out! I'm so glad you say that the last one is mimosa trees. We had one about 30' away that we keep trying to cut down. It grows at the base of an elm, so we can't dig it out. These crop up all over the place and are driving me crazy! They are definitely trying to invade.
Miss-ology
Weed pictures (ha!) 4 & 5 are so familiar…picked WAY too many of them!