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Until this gardening year I killed ALL weeds, without mercy. It was a never-ending and tedious job. No matter what weed cloth I used, no matter how thick the mulch I applied, I still had weeds... and I am against using chemicals. In my mind, NO weed had any redeeming qualities. I was wrong.
Some weeds actually benefit the soil thus improving our gardening efforts, and weeds can tell us a lot about the condition of our soil. I began learning about weeds only recently thanks to some threads on Dave’s Garden, although I still have volumes to learn. However, I’m excited enough about what I have learned so far that I want to share it with you, and maybe get you thinking about weeds in a different manner. For me, learning about the benefits of weeds is a by-product of learning about soil, which is learning about humus, organic nutrients, microbes and worms. It’s all interconnected.
My gardening goal for this year was to improve my new vegetable garden area, a small space 20’x 50’ that has been part of the lawn for many years. Last spring my neighbor plowed the grass under, and later on, ran his disc through it. Then I had a major health crisis and my new patch was just left sitting. Of course the patch grew weeds: “Nature abhors a vacuum”[1], and I knew I didn’t want to be growing weeds! Late last fall I managed to cover that area with black plastic for winter, hoping it would kill weeds for the coming spring. That only partially worked, and not very well. The weed seeds brought up from plowing the year before really took off once warm temperatures and sunshine were again available to germinate them.
How long do weed seeds live?
Weed seeds can survive in a dormant state in the soil for years! According to research done by Arnold Appleby, professor emeritus of weed science at Oregon State University:
* Annual ryegrass - up to nine years * Quackgrass - up to four years * Mustard - many decades; some have been known to sprout after 600 years! * Lambsquarters - up to four decades * Canada Thistle - more than two decades * Field Bindweed - more than 50 years * Leafy Spurge - several years http://www.gardenfoundation.com/howto/weeds.htm
I had read that weed seeds remain dormant far longer than most cultivated garden seeds so I didn’t want to plow again, nor even till, merely to bring more weed seeds to the surface. Nature doesn’t use a plow; she uses worms and beneficial microbes, which I needed to do too. But first, the worms and bacteria needed nutrition to survive.
But how to help change the solid, sticky clay and hardpan into soil suitable for growing microbes, worms and then vegetables? Clearly, the Lasagna method of layering mulch, compost and other amendments on top of the soil will encourage bacteria and worms that do the transformational work, but that takes time (and effort plus dollars) to become a decent vegetable plot. What could I also do inexpensively? I was already adding rock dusts, and in a DG thread about rock dusts, mention was made of beneficial WEEDS… and a book or two suggested. I was off and studying!
I learned many things, but mainly that weeds DO have value. I found many advocates for what weeds do, or can tell us, including Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution, Charles Walters, Founder of Acres U.S.A., Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer, Weeds and What They Tell, Jay L. McCaman, Weeds and Why They Grow, and Joseph A. Cocannouer, Weeds, Guardians of the Soil. Some of the stories they relate about crops growing amongst weeds are astounding!
Weeds with strong, persistent, penetrating roots bring nitrogen, minerals and trace elements from deep in the subsoil back up to the surface where other plants, fungi, microbes and worms can use them. Thus weeds help build the soil by feeding the fungi, microbes and worms. It is those organisms working together that build the humus. Weeds store additional nutrients in their stems and leaves, and when those weeds are cut and used as a green manure, those nutrients are added back to the surface soil. Another thing weeds do is to create “waterways” in soil, until enough humus is built by the worms and microbes to do the job and the weed population diminishes. Most folks believe weeds rob cultivated plants of needed moisture but just the opposite is true. When the soil surface is bone-dry down just a scant few inches, the roots of weeds growing deep in the subsoil bring up moisture by capillary action. That doesn’t mean weeds will keep your crop from eventually dying in a drought, but it will prolong growth while there is subsurface moisture available.
Pigweed
Burdock
Stinging Nettle
Some plants’ roots (like corn) will piggy-back on the weed roots, going deeper into the soil than normal, giving those roots direct access to water and micronutrients not available in the topsoil. My neighbor, an old-timer, has Lamb’s Quarters and Pigweed growing between his tomato rows. I thought he was just tired of weeding. “Nope,” he said. “They help the t’mater roots reach water and fert’lizer deep in the dirt. B’sides, you can eat ‘em. Ain’t a better eatin’ mess o’ greens.” To be fair in telling my tale, Buster’s tomato patch was NOT over-run with weeds. He had thinned the weeds with somewhat more spacing than the tomato plants, telling me that weeds needed to be controlled rather than eradicated. He allows only a few of the weeds to set seed for the following year, and has been known to transplant appropriate weeds into a new potato patch to open up the soil even though folks thought he was crazy!
Lamb's Quarters
Black Nightshade
Dandelion
Joseph A. Cocannouer, in Weeds, Guardians of the Soil, mentions many beneficial weeds with deep root systems. A few are: nightshades, purslane, ragweeds, stinging nettle, sow thistle, and milkweed along with the lamb’s quarters and pigweed my neighbor was using.[2] Weeds really help break up hardpan, basically because the roots exude a substance which softens the compact soils so that roots can penetrate deeper, doing their job of moving nutrients.[3] It also makes sense to me that weeds with deep root systems are great for erosion control. I only have to look at the steep but stable hillside just behind my house; it has a good crop of thistles, milkweed and pokeweed.
Certain weeds can indicate specific deficiencies in the soil. However, do not rely on just a weed type or two growing as the sole soil indicators without also taking a soil sample. Weeds have a way of growing where they shouldn’t. “Scientists have found that wild daisies grow in lawns that are deficient in lime. The daisies somehow collect or manufacture and store lime in their tissue. When the daisies die, the lime is deposited in the topsoil. This continues until the lime becomes sufficient for the lawn, then the wild daisies disappear.”[3] “Goldenrod prefer wet soil, dandelions like it rich and chickweed go for previously cultivated sites.”[4] “Burdock grows in soils with very high levels of iron and sulfate, very low levels of calcium and manganese.” [5]
There are more soil indicators listed in the article quoted above.
Jay McCaman says,“Balance the soil, lose the weed." [5] What weeds teach me is that healthy, balanced soil will not sustain weeds, but that I can use weeds now to begin to improve and balance my soil. Learning about balancing our soils can be a daunting task; there are so many different schools of thought on the subject. The chemical companies of course push more and more synthetic fertilizers, along with herbicides and pesticides which kill the living, breathing organism we know as SOIL. Most of us think “organic” merely means the cessation of synthetic chemical usage on our gardens and farms. In actuality, it takes much more than that to have healthy soil, producing healthy vegetables, fruit and pasture to feed healthy human beings and healthy animals.
You can start building healthy soil with weeds.
I have been delighted to see lamb’s quarter and purslane growing around the green beans and herbs in my new vegetable patch. Other low-growing weeds I haven’t yet identified are providing a cooling groundcover and holding in moisture since I haven’t had any mulch available. I have never grown much in the way of legumes before, but the few that I tried without an inoculant still grew, so I figured I didn’t really need to buy yet another item. I am finally understanding the inoculant is actually for the benefit of the soil first (fixing nitrogen) and only then for my beans. I heard several years ago that daikon radish will help break up clay soil, and now I realize that it is because of the same mechanism of deep roots helping the upward movement of nutrients. Daikon will be planted in my garden next year for sure!
Lamb's Quarters growing with Beans
Purslane Growing with Beans
Daikon Radish
To improve MY soil, I will be buying and spreading natural amendments including composted manure along with the green manure from my weeds (cut just at the flowering stage for the most nutrition) and kitchen compost to my vegetable plot. It will take some time, but in the meantime my good weeds will be working away in my garden, building highways for nutrients and breaking up my soil!
Photo Credits: Thanks to Poppysue (Chicory), Floridian (Dandelion, Black Nightshade, Goldenrod), GardenGuyKin (Stinging Nettle), Creekwalker (Burdock), chicochi3 (Horse Nettle), Xenomorf (Pigweed), Michaelp (Daikon), Melody (Ragweed), the dear, late TuttiFrutti (Burdock Flower), and RosemaryA (Lamb's Quarters) for the use of their photos from PlantFiles. The other photos are the author's.
About Darius Van d'Rhys
I have a 'growing my own food' obsession that comes fromf my overlapping interests in cooking, nutrition and gardening. I am also a "teacher", a writer, a builder… and a craftsperson and... and… and many other things, LOL. In fact, I guess I am a generalist, and a Seeker.
I live in the southern Appalachian Mountains on a hillside with a creek in front, and drive a 15 year old truck I lovingly call “My Farmer’s Ferrari.”
Posted by mindnova (from summersville, WV) on September 3, 2008 at 9:16 AM:
Some of the most beautiful wildflowers were some of the nastest weeds before they got their image improved. A great articule and proof that there are no weeds just misplaced plants. Love to here more on the subject.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on September 3, 2008 at 9:59 AM:
Thanks. From time to time I will be doing an in-depth story on a single weed. I think Purslane is coming up next week.
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Subject: You Woke Me Up with this article!
Posted by babybubbs (from Magnolia, DE) on September 1, 2008 at 1:52 PM:
Darius, this is great to read. I eat almost everything that grows. These weeds are some of the best foods and healing herbs around. Purlane is high in vit C and omega-3 and cheaper than fish oil because it's (free):) Some are potent like the poke root. I dug one up thinking it was a wild carrot washed it off and eaten raw. My colon cleanse order was canceled the next day:) WoW! Now I read about them before guessing. Thanks for a great read and pictures.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on September 1, 2008 at 1:56 PM:
Thanks! There has been a lot of great responses like yours, some on the threads and a lot in private Dmail. It was interesting and fun to research and write.
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Subject: Another great book on the subject
Posted by plntsrok (from Detroit, MI) on September 1, 2008 at 1:10 PM:
"Wildflowers and Weeds: A Guide in Full Color", by Booth Courtenay and James H. Zimmerman. If you can find a copy, (mine was published in 1972 by Van Nostrand Reinhold) is a great help for identification. My copy has the Library of Congress catalog Card number; 71-126879. I think it may pre-date the ISBN number
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on September 1, 2008 at 1:54 PM:
Thanks! Amazon has it, and I have added it to my "Wish List"!
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Subject: Pigweed and nitrates
Posted by fiberholic (from Saint David, AZ) on August 30, 2008 at 11:14 AM:
Darius, I thought you might find this interesting in your research
This is quoted from the Arizona Daily Star on August 23, 2008
PRESCOTT — Pigweed may have caused the deaths of more than 40 cattle on a section of ranch area in Chino Valley this week, authorities said.
When cattle eat higher than normal amounts of nitrate, it accumulates in an area of the stomach called the rumen.
The nitrite converts hemoglobin to methemoglobin in the bloodstream, making it unable to transport oxygen. The cattle die from nitrate poisoning because of a lack of oxygen to their cells and organs.
Pigweed is a nitrate accumulator, but only when it is exposed to an environmental stressor.
"Since we've had years of drought, the environmental stressor is all of the rain we recently had," Arizona Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Laura Oxley said.
"It caused the pigweed to grow very fast and increased the amounts of nitrates in the pigweed."
Pigweed is common in the Southwest and cattle do not normally graze on it.
"But if it is the only green thing around, they will go for it," Oxley
Interesting, huh?
Kathy
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 30, 2008 at 11:57 AM:
That's pretty interesting, Thanks!
I wonder about the actual mechanism... if it's a long drought that concentrates nitrates in soil, and pigweed just happens to pick up large amounts of nitrates by growing... In other words, would any plant growing have picked up an accumulation of nitrates and it just happened pigweed, OR is it a function of pigweed to still be the only nitrate accumulator even if a lot of other vegetation was growing?
Does my questioning make any sense?
~darius
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Posted by fiberholic (from Saint David, AZ) on August 30, 2008 at 12:27 PM:
It makes a lot of sense...I just kinda get lost in the science aspect. My biology teacher in high school (many, many years ago) very politely asked me to not take any advanced science classes!!!!!! Just couldn't wrap my head around it. Pigweed is one of the major weeds in this part of the country. It's well on its way to becoming noxious with all the drought years we've been having. but it makes me glad that I chose to put the pigweed in the compost pile rather than feeding it to the chickens.
Kathy
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 30, 2008 at 12:34 PM:
Yeah... or you might have dead chickens. A non-poisonous plant becoming a killer... wow.
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Subject: Catch crop of weeds...
Posted by Sundownr (from (Bev) Wytheville, VA) on August 28, 2008 at 10:17 AM:
Darius,
I had been told years ago that a garden should be planned with at least one patch of weeds at the border for the wild critters and insects. The weed blooms bring the bees to help pollinate the veggies. Some weeds are munched on by wild things, instead of the veggies. And, of course, gardeners can eat some of those weeds too! Now I have another reason to keep that patch of weeds intact!
You gave us a lot of info, references to search for more, and you reminded me of things I'd forgotten!! Thank you so much for the article Darius!!
This message was edited Aug 28, 2008 10:26 AM
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 28, 2008 at 11:53 AM:
You are welcome. :) I enjoy writing these articles and I learn a lot from reader's comments, too.
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Posted by cactuspatch (from La Luz/Alamogordo, NM) on September 2, 2008 at 2:53 PM:
Great article. I too am certain to have some weeds or as I call them wildflowers on our property. They are habitats for many of the beneficial insects.
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Subject: Weeds???
Posted by Indy (from Alexandria, IN) on August 27, 2008 at 5:25 PM:
Darius, That was brave of you to publish your article....no visible rotten tomatoes! It all goes strongly against the grain of the modern spic and spanner.
I have more purslane by far than anything in my gardens. I wouldn't expect weeds to do miracles over-night.
So thanks for the nice article...it was appreciated here.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 5:29 PM:
Thanks, Indy!
It has been interesting to me that the purslane I had before this summer was all quite low to the ground. Now with just a dusting of greensand broadcast in that area, it is about a foot tall.
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Posted by indy_v (from Indianapolis, IN) on August 27, 2008 at 11:17 PM:
Interesting article. I'm gardening with people who have a similar theory, so it was strange to me at first. But the milkweed they cultivated while their veggie garden was lying dormant due to other distractions has been a real attraction to monarchs, which is very nice.
They're experiencing problems because they let the weeds get out of control - and they had to do a last-minute blast with miracle gro (ugh) to get certain plants to produce - but your idea of using the weeds to build a good soil is excellent. I'll keep it in mind for whatever "untamed" place I garden in next. In fact, I think I'll be gardening in a friend's yard that hasn't been gardened in quite some time, so I'll definitely need an organic plan.
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Posted by quiltygirl (from Wildomar, CA) on September 7, 2008 at 12:10 PM:
I think I have purslane growing (only) in my veggie garden. Do the leave have purple underneath? When I went to pluck it out, our Mexican neighbor said his wife buys it at the Mexican grocery store and cooks it in the skillet with butter or oil and garlic. (Sure, ANYTHING is good with butter and garlic - that's why people eat snails!) I tried it and it is quite yummy - a little spinach-y in taste.
I let native chaparral grow in my yard, even watering and trimming in into nice shaped bushes. I also have some native trees that scatter seed and are quite prolific and deciduous. In the winter while they sleep I sneak in and transplant them from the horse/goat pasture (just dirt and weeds) around the yard where I want to create shade. It is best to move them young and then they will grow fast.
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Subject: Been waiting for this article
Posted by rtl850nomore (from Glendale/Parks, AZ) on August 27, 2008 at 4:33 PM:
Great job Darius. Very informative. Long live some of the weeds!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 5:23 PM:
Thanks. Your approval means a lot, especially since you introduced me to weeds!
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Subject: How informative!
Posted by Procrastinator (from Havelock, ON) on August 27, 2008 at 12:57 PM:
What an informative article. Changes my entire attitude towards weeds. And I thought that they were of no benefit whatsoever. In the meantime they have been quietly working for me without me even knowing it. Enlightening!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 2:09 PM:
Glad you got something good from it!
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Posted by Procrastinator (from Havelock, ON) on August 27, 2008 at 5:56 PM:
I can always learn from you Darius. You have such a wonderful understanding of so many things and am so glad that you are generous enough to share some of that with all of us who are thirsty for knowledge!
I always learn something valuable from your well-written articles. Thanks for sharing and caring.
Be well
Hugs Elaine and Otis
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Subject: Tell my husband!
Posted by crimsontsavo (from Crossville, TN) on August 27, 2008 at 11:20 AM:
I have told him since we started our first veggie garden some weeds aren't bad. He is the type to eradicate them all, lol.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 2:08 PM:
Thanks, Jocie... Give the article to him to read!
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Posted by crimsontsavo (from Crossville, TN) on August 28, 2008 at 1:16 PM:
I will, but then he'll say..
" Darius is your friend you prolly got her to write that article so I'd be fooled into letting weeds grow'.
LOL
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Subject: right on
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on August 27, 2008 at 11:00 AM:
Very good, weeds were there before selected veggies and they all deserve to grow, down with Monsanto! More seriously, I really enjoyed your article, it brought back what I did read in Fukuoka's books years ago. I would add that several weeds are edible as well; dandelion, black nightshade, stinging nettles.
JJ
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 27, 2008 at 3:00 PM:
Weeds?? I thought they were wildflowers... lol. They're certainly interesting. Thanks for giving us important reasons why they're interesting!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 3:08 PM:
You are both Welcome!
JJ... someone has an article planned for edible weeds, so I only mentioned a couple...
Ky... yes, some of them are really pretty when they bloom!
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Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on August 28, 2008 at 7:41 AM:
Thanks Darius, I gotta check this as I also planned one on edible greens we use here on Reunion, the brédes, do you have a link to the planned article on edible weeds?
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 28, 2008 at 11:49 AM:
No I don't, JJ... nor do I remember if it was on the 'sticky' or in conversation on one of the chat threads. I may still write one too as I think the wild edibles vary a lot by region and probably even more by countries and culture.
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Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on August 29, 2008 at 4:20 AM:
OK Darius, then I will keep my project, indeed plants vary greatly from one place to the other and what is considered non edible or even poisonous in a place will be consumed in an other one. Diversity is a treasure, let us protect it.
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Subject: Excellent and well timed!
Posted by dragonfly53 (from (Terri) South Boston, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 7:54 AM:
Darius,
Thank you again for your informative and well written article. You seem to be reading my mind; every time I have a problem with something or a question, an article appears shortly, LOL!
I have hardpan builders clay and the weeding is driving me up a wall. Taking note of your article, I now know that there's a reason for the weeds and all I have to do is wait patiently and things will settle down!
Please keep writing!
Terri
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 8:59 AM:
Thanks, Terri. :) Who would have thought weeds could be Good Guys? I have SO much to learn!
You need to hop on Hwy. 58 and drive to this side of the state for a visit.
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Posted by figaro52 (from Oak Lawn, IL) on August 27, 2008 at 11:02 AM:
I never knew Purslane was my friend. I have a VERY FRIENDLY garden! LOL.
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Posted by Pamgarden (from Central, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 12:27 PM:
Daryus, I sure am glad you like to read so much. What an informative article. I think I've got quite a few of the weeds pictured, many that weren't here previous to disturbing the land to build the house. It's heartening to know that they aren't all bad. Thank you.
Pam
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Subject: Great article!
Posted by kniphofia (from Ashington
(United Kingdom)) on August 27, 2008 at 1:21 AM:
Absolutely fascinating and very informative. A weed is only a plant in the wrong place, and some of them deserve to be left where they are!
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Posted by gk1153 (from Paris, IL) on August 27, 2008 at 6:16 AM:
Thank you for your article, Darius. I view weeds the same as you did before you became informed. Thank you for informing me.
I'll slip off to the library to see if any of the books you cite are available.
Gary
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Posted by bbrookrd (from nantucket, MA) on August 27, 2008 at 7:39 AM:
Darius, Your weed article is not only fascinating, but it made me smile to know that I now have good solid well researched reasons to avoid some much of the hated weeding tasks that face me in the garden. It also explains the much confusing patterns of the weeds that appear for a period and then are replaced by others as the soil changes on our property. Thanks again for your fine contribution to DG. Patti
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Posted by gk1153 (from Paris, IL) on August 27, 2008 at 8:00 AM:
I found "Weeds - Guardians of the Soil" online. Google Small Farms Library or click on the title Darius listed in the article.
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on August 27, 2008 at 8:07 AM:
I having lived in a more rural area for a year now, I appreciate 'weeds' alot more now! Very nice article.
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Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on August 27, 2008 at 8:33 AM:
I appreciate all the links you provided to check IDs on Weeds as Soil Indicators.
(You might have had a final one called- Sallys Yard- all of the above LOL) Actually, as bbrookrd said- they do change as areas get amended/ or worn out.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 8:52 AM:
Thanks. How lovely to awaken to such positive comments! I half-way expected some rotten tomatoes thrown at me, LOL.
I expect the next year (and more) will be an ongoing learning experience for me where weeds and building soil are concerned. You may rest assured that I will pass it along.
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Posted by wind (from Mount Laurel, NJ) on August 27, 2008 at 9:11 AM:
Hi Darius,
I enjoyed your very informative and interesting article! We have a lot of weeds here at our home, most I do like. Of course, there are those invasive types that we could do without.
My favorite weeds are Queen Anne's Lace, Purslane and Stinging Nettle. I like Chicory but we don't have it. I didn't realize Ox-Eye Daisy is a weed too, I like that as well. I have a few here to plant that I started from seed.
Happy Gardening :)
~Diana
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Posted by angele (from Elephant Butte, NM) on August 27, 2008 at 9:47 AM:
Thank you darius! Amazing amount of work you put into this article. It is much appreciated.
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Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on August 27, 2008 at 9:52 AM:
This article was terrific. I knew weeds helped the soil, but I didn't know any details. The pictures of the weeds helped, too. I didn't know the name of plenty of the weeds we have. I have a lot of mallow with a long. strong root. I guess it is pulling stuff up from the subsoil. I will try to be more appreciative from now on.
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Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on August 27, 2008 at 11:08 AM:
I was reading about invasive thistle a few years ago and read a very interesting story from someone who eliminated the thistle by improving the soil- I think just by continual cutting and leaving ti there Wish I knew exactly where that story was,sorry
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 27, 2008 at 11:58 AM:
Thank you, Darius, for a most interesting and well-written article. This makes so much sense! The chem-lawn families up the street fertilize the life out of their lawns, the fertilizer washes downhill to our lawn, and we grow a bumper crop of dandelions! If only we could just do away with the dumb grass all together.... Anyway, this article was a great way to start the day!!!
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Posted by msrobin (from Caneyville, KY) on August 27, 2008 at 12:29 PM:
Love the atricle! Very informative and thank you for including the pictures. Very helpful!
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on August 27, 2008 at 12:32 PM:
What an interesting article!! Thanks so much! NOW, what do I need to add to my soil if I have Sheep Sorrel taking over a bed? LOL I have been pulling it out for two years and of course that is not working...but I didn't realize it meant I was needing something in my soil that is missing...any idea?
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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Fairfield County, CT) on August 27, 2008 at 12:38 PM:
I eat the purslane and lamb's quarters growing in my yard as salad. Incredible amount of nutrients in them. Early morning finds me prowling the yard in my robe searching for greens to pack in my lunch.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 27, 2008 at 12:47 PM:
LOL, Cat, the picture of you in your bathrobe picking weeds for your lunchbox!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 2:06 PM:
Thanks, Everyone! (and for the funny picture in my mind about 'picking lunch' amongst the weeds!)
Janet, sorry I have no suggestions other than the article, which says sheep's sorrel grows in poor soil with low humus.
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on August 27, 2008 at 3:15 PM:
I have added loads of topsoil and manure to that area, as a matter of fact, I thought the sheeps sorrell must have been in one of the things I added, trying to make the soil better there. It is on a hill, and it just never seems to "take". LOL I will keep trying. Someone had suggested lime...maybe I should try and see.
Great "salad hunting" image!!! LOL
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 3:20 PM:
Janet, have you had a soil test?
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Posted by gk1153 (from Paris, IL) on August 27, 2008 at 3:41 PM:
I'm taking a shot in the dark here, Janet. Maybe add some grass clippings or sawdust. Isn't humus where bacteria and earthworms are working to aid in decay? Perhaps the soil needs more fiber.
Get a soil test. Doesn't the county extension service do that for free or next to nothing?
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on August 27, 2008 at 3:52 PM:
no I have never had a soil test...but I can certainly look into that.
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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Fairfield County, CT) on August 27, 2008 at 4:16 PM:
I looked up sheep sorrel and there are several recipies for it on the internet. It is supposed to have a lemony, sour taste. There is some in the next door neighbor's yard - I will be trying it tonight!
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Posted by gk1153 (from Paris, IL) on August 27, 2008 at 4:24 PM:
Sounds like Janet can send you some YankeeCat. Better get it while you can she's a-fixin to get rid of it.
Are there curlers in your hair while you're out there prowling, Cat? *grin*
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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Fairfield County, CT) on August 27, 2008 at 5:03 PM:
No curlers - I'm a wash and ignore kind of "girl". It's a nice robe - no holes either! But I do put food out for the front porch charity cat in my jammies - I just make sure the coast is clear before I stick my arm out the door. I'm old - not thrill for anyone to see!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 5:27 PM:
Fiber would have been my next suggestion after a soil test for Janet. It's essential for building humus. I didn't try to address it in this article since I hope to do one on building soil later.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 27, 2008 at 7:17 PM:
Cat's not old!
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Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on August 27, 2008 at 7:43 PM:
Darius, I look forward to future articles on soil building. This one was excellent. More like this would be wonderful. Fiber in the soil! I have never heard of it. Of course there is fiber in compost, but it is usually so fine that it seems like it wouldn't help much. Can't wait to hear about it.
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on August 27, 2008 at 10:12 PM:
ok, what kind of fiber are we talking about? LOL I have to get that area going, it has a lot of good plants that are not thriving there!
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 10:52 PM:
edited for a double post
This message was edited Aug 27, 2008 10:54 PM
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 27, 2008 at 10:53 PM:
Janet, I have to do more soil research. But there are 2 basic kinds of fiber found in human foods... soluble, and insoluble. The docs say to eat more fiber but they neglect to mention that there are 2 kinds, or which we should eat and why. (We can benefit from both kinds but they have different functions in the body, so what our biological and health requirements are make a difference in how much we need of each...)
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Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on August 27, 2008 at 11:42 PM:
I can't wait to find out what kind of fiber soil needs. I assume it is what we provide in compost.
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Posted by darius (from Marion, VA) on August 28, 2008 at 12:21 AM:
The article will be a few weeks away, I think. Lots to do first.
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Posted by JanetS (from Braselton, GA) on August 28, 2008 at 1:47 PM:
will be looking forward to more education!
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Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on September 2, 2008 at 8:29 PM:
I manage and appreciate my weeds along with my
other plants. The fact that I still have the weeds tells
me that my garden hasn't "arrived" yet?? However,
when the soil is rich, my lambs quarters gets big as
a (small) house! (a privy, maybe)
I appreciate your interesting article and pictures.
Thanks!
Fitsy
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Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on September 2, 2008 at 9:42 PM:
I am dying to know what some of my weeds tell about my soil so I can remedy it. Like mallow ( cheeses) and purslane. I guess I am going to have to buy all those books in order to find out!
