Hmmmmmm......food for thought. :0)

Bad bad weeds! I have problems this year with annual sow thistles (as usual) and purslane (which is not usually a problem).

I had a bad bindweed problem a few years ago - I think the seeds can lay dormant for years which doesn't help me any because it really got away on me that time.

I've just spent the last three days pulling hemp nettle and pigweed (is that the same as lamb's quarter?) from my potatoes and I haven't done between the rows yet! (I don't have a rototiller yet. In case you were wondering why I would be crazy enough to be pulling it by hand!)

This is the result of adding manure to my garden. Well composted and very old manure, too. I don't believe who ever says composting and aging kills weed seeds! But it sure makes my garden grow and at least PG and HN are easy pullers.

Vrie, a friend of mine actually always left a row of Pigweed in her veggie patch because you can eat it steamed like you would spinich.

Red yarrow went to seed and had a party in my flower bed it seems...and they never cleaned up after themselves! Wow! It's never done that to me before. Talk about a weed...there must be thousands of them. sigh.

And the battle continues...Toots

When we moved to our acreage we wanted a garden near the house. So, we marked off an area and sprayed with roundup. Once the grass was dead we tilled it up and my dad brought us a load of manure and we spread that on. You could see exactly where the previous owners had had a garden years and years ago because there was portulaca (purslane) growing in a perfect square in the garden. So, ever since I have been pulling every piece of portulaca out every year and not leaving any leaves, roots or seeds in the garden. I was told that the portulaca seed is good for 10 years in the soil. Well, we have been here for 11 summers and this year I have only seen 2 plants so far. It works!

But...I have lamb's quarters as the major weed in the vegetable garden at the end of the lane. The thing with that weed is that it seems that the more heat it gets the shorter and smaller the plant is before it sets seeds.

I am going out with roundup in a few minutes to do some 'weeding'.

Brenda

I bought a book a few years ago from Alberta Agriculture (AAFRD), called "Weeds of the Prairies". It's more crop-weed oriented but all of the weeds in my garden are in there, easy to identify with all stages of development in colour pictures. It's handy to know what I'm fighting against!

Sow thistles are the worst for me because they grow flat as seedlings and are really hard to weed by hand. I am happy to report that I have pretty much eliminated Quack Grass from all my garden beds! :0)

Thistles! I have the usual chickweed, lamb's quarters, stinkweed, dandelions, etc, but the really happy/healthy ones this year are Canada thistle. All I ever manage to do is slow them down, no matter what I try.
Connie

I've been avoiding my garden for the past 2 or 3 days because of all the weeds lately (I keep telling myself its because too much "life" gets in the way.... but I know better! LOL). Yeah, I was just thinking about going out there and attacking them today. All that rain we've had lately seems to have given them too much energy. Time to go change that! LOL

Ang

OMG...I am getting scared to go on holidays because of this thread. I have been home and can't keep up with the equisetum this year, I am a bit freaked out to see what I will find when I get back in 3 weeks!!! Asking the neighbor to water the garden was easy....I am not even gonna push asking her to weed!
Oh well...it'll give me something to do after the holidays...as if I need more stuff to do...LOL

LOL hunner! That's exactly what started the rant! Two weeks of rain, weed, followed by two weeks of vacation! I'm gonna cry when I get home! My mom is watering but she freaks when I recognize lambs quarter in a flower bed and pull it FAST! And she can't be out in the sun anymore so I know there'll be no weeding done!

I don't have a rototiller yet. In case you were wondering why I would be crazy enough to be pulling it by hand
Rototilling will only make it worst; all this does is brings up more seed to the service to germinate. Just keep at it and on top of it.

Mulch, mulch, mulch and more mulch inbetween those rows and as close as possible around your plants. Newspapers, cardboard and straw are my lifesavers. It may not look particular to some gardeners, but it sure keeps the weeding down.

Sharon

Sharon, I was going to mulch with straw this year, but then I got freaked out from these tarnish bugs. They like to hide in "debris"! I posted a thread on that. LOL!

Hmmmm, never really thought about bringing up more seed with the rototiller. (And me a farmer! For shame!) I have to add manure for the next few years though due to poor sandy soil, but I can keep the tilling to a minimum definately. (desperate situations only, I promise) Thanks. I like to roto between my taters before I hill them to losen the soil. Are you telling me I have to weed it first! LOL!

Toots