Pullin' weeds
 

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?

Pullin' weeds
 

Eigenvector wrote:
On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling
weeds from the garden?

On average, 1 or 2 minutes per week. In the county I live in, I can
get free mulch by the truck load that has already been through the
heat cycle, therefore no live seeds. Every year I add a couple of
inches after planting. Very few weeds make it through the mulch, a
crab grass sprout here and there is about it.

Tom J

Pullin' weeds
 

In article ,
"Eigenvector" wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.
Why in god's little green earth would you want to pull up dandelion and
rye? Dandelion has been much discussed here as it is a salad and
medicinal plant, and it also has an incredible taproot that transports
nutrient minerals to the surface to improve the soil.

Rye on the other hand creates an extremely large amount of biomass in
the soil which improves water retention and generally keeps the critters
happy.

Oh, are we talking lawn here?

Pour a slab and paint it green.

In my vegetable garden, I probably spend ten minute a week, if that
much, pulling weeds.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?
--

Billy
Bush and Pelosi Behind Bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo...eature=related

Pullin' weeds
 

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Eigenvector" wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to
pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly
not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able
to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even
if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.
Why in god's little green earth would you want to pull up dandelion and
rye? Dandelion has been much discussed here as it is a salad and
medicinal plant, and it also has an incredible taproot that transports
nutrient minerals to the surface to improve the soil.

Rye on the other hand creates an extremely large amount of biomass in
the soil which improves water retention and generally keeps the critters
happy.

Oh, are we talking lawn here?

Pour a slab and paint it green.

Who in the world pulls weeds from their lawn?
snip

Pullin' weeds
 

"Eigenvector" wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week
pulling weeds. My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made
me completely apathetic

Are you talking golf course or pasture?

What defines a weed in a field?!?!? I've never spent even one second
pulling weeds in my fields... there are probably a few hundred
different plants... if they don't duck they get mowed.

Pullin' weeds
 

"Sheldon" wrote in message
...
"Eigenvector" wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week
pulling weeds. My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made
me completely apathetic

Are you talking golf course or pasture?

What defines a weed in a field?!?!? I've never spent even one second
pulling weeds in my fields... there are probably a few hundred
different plants... if they don't duck they get mowed.

I was referring to wheat field actually, but for the purposes of this
discussion I was wondering about my personal herb garden, say 100 sq ft.

Pullin' weeds
 

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:55:35 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to
pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly
not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able
to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even
if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a
clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?

I have far too many weeds which give fodder to something living back
in the garden, so I'd say I weed about never! Well, in the spring I
promise I'll keep the garden in front weeded, but the bermuda always
wins. This is no help to you, but I just have a huge area where I
allow weeds to go. When I bought the house I planted a lot of small
trees and this year they are finally giving me shade in most of the
backyard. I'll take more photos and post them to my website blog
thing.

Your answer does help, if anything its far less confrontational than the
others I've read. I have a couple boxes that are large and it was my
intention to keep them clean of any weeds. But seeing how difficult that
task is turning out to be, it got me wondering if I was simply being
hopelessly unrealistic about what a garden should look like. From your
response it sounds like I'm coming to that realization a bit too late.

Pullin' weeds
 

On Jul 5, 1:55 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?

I almost never 'pull' weeds. I'll spend a few minutes with a hoe, or a
claw, or a metal-tined rake. I'm a little philosophical about it,
mainly since my knees aren't what they used to be (if they ever were!)
and I refuse to spray herbicide or pesticide anywhere on my property.
But in my three little vegetable beds, I try to eliminate any
competition (and they don't really leave- they go straight to the
composters).

Chris

Pullin' weeds
 

"Chris" wrote in message
...
On Jul 5, 1:55 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to
pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly
not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able
to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even
if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a
clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?

I almost never 'pull' weeds. I'll spend a few minutes with a hoe, or a
claw, or a metal-tined rake. I'm a little philosophical about it,
mainly since my knees aren't what they used to be (if they ever were!)
and I refuse to spray herbicide or pesticide anywhere on my property.
But in my three little vegetable beds, I try to eliminate any
competition (and they don't really leave- they go straight to the
composters).

Chris


I do use a claw in the spring, but for certain weeds all it seems to do is
make them multiply. I guess if pulling weeds was simple they wouldn't be
called weeds. Based on your response and Jangchub's it sounds like I'm
worrying about them too much.

Pullin' weeds
 

On 7/5/2008 10:55 AM, Eigenvector wrote:
On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?


First of all, I never walk through my garden without pulling at least 1
or two weeks.

On days when I set aside time to work in my garden, I usually pick an
area that has not been weeded recently and clear it entirely of weeds.
By "weeds", I mean any plant that is not something I planted (except of
course for volunteers -- interesting weeds). I spend about 1-2 hours a
week weeding.

I actually pull some weeds; these are generally seedling ash trees (the
most common weed in my garden), wild grasses, goatsbeard, and pimpernel.
I use a paring knife to cut the roots of some weeds; these may be
spotted spurge and oxalis. I kneel on the padded underside of an
upside-down bench. Using a hoe, long-handled cultivator, or chemicals
is not really possible because many of my desirable plants are too close
together. Several of my beds have ground covers (cinquefoil or
persicaria). Today, they would be damaged by weeding methods that don't
involve close-hand work; eventually, they should grow thick enough to
limit weeds.

Contrary to some of the other replies, weeding is very important. The
pimpernel was crowding out my candytuft and primroses in back and the
persicaria in front. If I want those plants, I must eliminate their
competitors. Also, with water rationing likely in the near future where
I live, I need to reduce the loss of water from the soil caused by
growing weeds.

My Hill (always written with upper-case "M" and "H", see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_back.html#hill) is another issue.
I water it heavily but only once every two weeks. I cannot pull weeds
on My Hill except within the first 3-4 days after watering. Also, I can
only weed a small portion at a time; My Hill is just too steep for me to
do a thorough job all at once. While the weeds I remove from the flat
areas of my garden go in a green bin for the county's composting
program, the weeds I pull from My Hill I lay down as a mulch.
Currently, there are many tall annual grasses, some wild mustard, and
goatsbeard. Next year, I expect far fewer weeds on My Hill, a result of
the combination of (1) infrequent watering, (2) the mulch of old weeds,
and (3) the growth of ground cover (African daisies and English ivy)
that was planted just this past winter.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

Pullin' weeds
 

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 10:55:35 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

My experiences pulling weeds in the fields made me completely apathetic
about them. However recently I've got it in my head that I might be able to
keep the garden clean without resorting to chemical warfare - but it just
doesn't seem to help. Dandilions, Catsear, Rye, and two others that I'm
actually gonna post an ID on here shortly are overrunning my garden even if
I do pull weeds for an hour a day.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?


Keep weeds down by using mulch. There are still some weeds, but the
mulch can greatly help with water conservation. The best way to rid
the rye grass is pull it out, blade by blade, after a good soaking
rain. I probably spend 30 minutes a week pulling weeds, a bit more
time now than other times of the year.

Pullin' weeds
 

Eigenvector said:


On average, how much time would you say you devote per week pulling weeds
from the garden? I say per week, rather than per day because I used to pull
weeds on the farm - but I don't live on a farm anymore and I'm certainly not
going to devote 10 hours a day doing it.

Recently it seems like 7-10 hours per week, to keep the garden beds from
turning into a mass of maple, elm, ailanthus, mulberry and buckthorn. These
are all seeds that kite in (or are pooped in, for the last two), hit the top of
any mulch, and are quite happily sprout there. We had a drought last year
which stressed the trees into growing and enormous crop of seeds and the
bountiful rains this year meant the seeds have almost all sprouted.

If it were just the random weeds of cultivation (crabgrass, spurge, purslane,
lamb's quarters, henbit, pigweed), it woud be less time, and mulch keeps a lot
of them down.

The pernicioius perennial weed gil-over-the-ground I rip out of the raspberries
each spring, and maybe pull from the edges sometimes while berry picking,
but I leave in the lawn.

Dandelions I pop out of the lawn where they show up. (They almost never
sprout in any of my garden beds.) They have gradually been beaten back
to only the way in the back part of the lawn.

How do you keep the weeds down? Pulling them up, covering them over with
mulch, weapons of mass destruction, or do you just not worry about it
anymore?

Hand pulling and mulch (garden beds). Weed popper or ignore(lawn).
Weapons of mass destruction (carefully confined) along one fence line.

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?

Grow the rosemary in pots...with clean potting mix. 8^)

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

After enlightenment, the laundry.

Pullin' weeds
 

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..

I do use a claw in the spring, but for certain weeds all it seems to do is
make them multiply. I guess if pulling weeds was simple they wouldn't be
called weeds. Based on your response and Jangchub's it sounds like I'm
worrying about them too much.


It all depends entirely on what sort of "garden" you like.
I spend an awful lot of time just sitting enjoying my view and I find that
things out of order annoy me, so yes- I weed.
I weed perhaps 10 hours a week in my "yard" proper, but do have a quite
large wooded portion beyond that where I do very little. Some times of year
I weed more, and some less, but al least once a day I pull some weeds. Of
course I mulch, but plenty of seeds germinate in mulch so that isn't the
final answer IMO.

If you weed with the right zen spirit it isn't nearly the nasty chore most
folks think it is. I don't mind it- I move my little seat from spot to spot
and get to know all my plants intimately. It's something I enjoy and the
rewards are great.
Not everyone likes a manicured garden, and I understand that.
But I do :)


--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

Pullin' weeds
 

On 7/5/2008 10:55 AM, Eigenvector wrote [in part]:

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?


I almost missed this.

There are herbicides that are specific to grasses. That is, they kill
grasses but not non-grasses. As always, read the label warnings
carefully. Some of these herbicides might cause temporary or even
permanent damage to plants you want to keep.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

Pullin' weeds
 

"David E. Ross" wrote in message
...
On 7/5/2008 10:55 AM, Eigenvector wrote [in part]:

Side question:

What is the best method for controlling rye grass growing up inside a
clump
of something like rosemary or lavender?


I almost missed this.

There are herbicides that are specific to grasses. That is, they kill
grasses but not non-grasses. As always, read the label warnings
carefully. Some of these herbicides might cause temporary or even
permanent damage to plants you want to keep.

--
David E. Ross

I'm almost inclined to let the grasses grow where they are - coming up
inbetween the lavender clumps. They tend to match the lavender plant, but I
was worried that if they got a foothold the lavender would get starved out.
I really don't like resorting to chemical warfare, but pulling the grass out
doesn't seem to work.

More options on my plate.