T wrote:
On 06/08/2016 05:54 PM, songbird wrote:
those tap roots are what i was talking about.

I was hoping purslane would accomplish the same thing.
parts of my yard are not glowing red, so maybe a bumper
crop?

hope so, any ground cover is better
than bare dirt if you're not using the space,
but if you can get something else going there
instead (buckwheat or winter rye are both
excellent) it's much better. also looks like
we have a good crop starting up of purselane
this season.


songbird

On 06/09/2016 05:35 PM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
On 06/08/2016 05:54 PM, songbird wrote:
those tap roots are what i was talking about.

I was hoping purslane would accomplish the same thing.
parts of my yard are not glowing red, so maybe a bumper
crop?

hope so, any ground cover is better
than bare dirt if you're not using the space,
but if you can get something else going there
instead (buckwheat or winter rye are both
excellent) it's much better. also looks like
we have a good crop starting up of purselane
this season.


songbird


Thank you!

My wife is scared to death of buckwheat as thee is
a severe allergy in her family to it (but not her yet).

Is Winter Rye the same stuff that gives you diabetes,
such as what is used in Rye Bread, etc.? Is so, I'd
rather plant something I can eat. My purslane is
already giving me seeds, so maybe ...

T wrote:
....
My wife is scared to death of buckwheat as thee is
a severe allergy in her family to it (but not her yet).

interesting! i've never heard of an
allergy to it before. they are no fun for
sure as i have reactions to some plants too
ones that i actually like (lilacs, lavender,
yarrow).


Is Winter Rye the same stuff that gives you diabetes,
such as what is used in Rye Bread, etc.? Is so, I'd
rather plant something I can eat. My purslane is
already giving me seeds, so maybe ...

it doesn't bother me. no, the point was, when you
have extra space that you don't have planted with
veggies is to fill it with a benificial ground cover
plant, to help suppress weeds and create topsoil/humus.
weeds are opportunists, fill the niche with a more
useful plant and you get topsoil faster. winter rye
is one of the most common used plants to break up
hard soil. it sends out huge amounts of roots. i've
done it here in this clay in the fall, turned it under
in the spring and the soil was great that season. you
don't have to let it get to seed/head stage, just chop
it back and turn it under before the soil dries out.


songbird

On 06/11/2016 04:16 AM, songbird wrote:
interesting! i've never heard of an
allergy to it before. they are no fun for
sure as i have reactions to some plants too
ones that i actually like (lilacs, lavender,
yarrow).

My wife mother was given something in the hospital
with something else she as allergic to. The reaction
was secondary effect of the original allergy.

On 06/11/2016 04:16 AM, songbird wrote:
Is Winter Rye the same stuff that gives you diabetes,
such as what is used in Rye Bread, etc.? Is so, I'd
rather plant something I can eat. My purslane is
already giving me seeds, so maybe ...

it doesn't bother me. no, the point was, when you
have extra space that you don't have planted with
veggies is to fill it with a benificial ground cover
plant, to help suppress weeds and create topsoil/humus.
weeds are opportunists, fill the niche with a more
useful plant and you get topsoil faster. winter rye
is one of the most common used plants to break up
hard soil. it sends out huge amounts of roots. i've
done it here in this clay in the fall, turned it under
in the spring and the soil was great that season. you
don't have to let it get to seed/head stage, just chop
it back and turn it under before the soil dries out.

My Purslane is already producing seeds. So when I pick it,
I make a pint of rinsing it off over a patch of the yard
that doesn't have any growing in it yet.

I will have to look into the Rye solution too.