Ode to Joni Mitchell

I’ve mentioned a few times that I don’t use insecticide or herbicides here at Auntie K’s Garden.  I get rid of bad bugs with a bucket of soapy water and my dandelion digger—cuz, I don’t want to grab them with my fingers!  And, I get rid of the weeds by hand – pulling them out by the root.  Like Joni Mitchell said so well, “Hey farmer farmer, put away that DDT now, gimme spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, Please!” 

Sometimes, I get behind with the weeding, and a passerby or a neighbor will comment.  A few weeks ago, a neighbor stopped by to admire the garden.  She turned around and her eyes got HUGE as she said, “My, that’s a fine crop of dandelions you’ve got!”  It’s true.  It has been a bumper crop of dandelions this year.  But, I don’t want to use weed killer… So, I “deadhead” them staving off the seed heads, and dig them out when I have time.  But, I need to come up with a new plan because there are just too many.

One of the local nurseries had a post on FB about using a flame thrower to kill weeds!  I thought about this idea for about 30 seconds before determining that the mulch might catch fire and I’d have a bigger problem than a fine crop of dandelions on my hands.

But, I thought about the “heat” aspect of the flame thrower and thought boiling water might work.  I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but I will (at some point this summer) and let you know how it goes.  And, if you’ve done it, I’m curious to know how it went.

A fine crop of dandelions  :(

A few years ago, I used heavy brown paper under my mulch.  This method was a TOTAL failure. It looked great for the same season, but the weed seeds had NO trouble popping through the following year.  And this year, I have a "fine crop of dandelions."  So… as much as I don’t like to use it in planting areas, I’m going to use landscaping fabric in the non-planting areas like walkways and patio areas.  Before laying down the fabric, I’ll double dig and get rid of grass clumps and dandelion roots (and any little tree-lets).

Do you have ideas for getting rid of the weeds but leaving the birds and the bees?  If so, post a comment and tell me how you did it!

Weeding is like . . .

A few weeks ago, I gave an impromptu lecture on andragogy – adult learning theory. One of the assumptions of andragogy is that adults have experience (including making mistakes) which provides a basis or foundation for learning. In other words, you don’t always have to start at the very beginning when you’re teaching adults. If you can make a connection for adult learners, they’re off and running.

Since that impromptu lecture, I’ve been thinking about andragogy as applied to gardening in general and weeding in particular. I get a lot of questions about weeding – more than about watering or planting or plant identification. I mentioned this to a couple of friends one night over a glass of wine, and they were only too happy to brainstorm some analogies (similies, actually) for weeding.

“Weeding is like cleaning your house,” one woman said, “You should do it once a month, top to bottom, making sure to look in every nook and cranny.” “Weeding is like laundry,” said another. “It’s never done.” “Weeding is like shaving your legs,” said a third. (I confess to spewing some wine across the lawn at this one.) “You hate doing it, and it’s sometimes painful, but it looks so good afterward!” Brava.

How about it gardeners? What’s your favorite gardening or weeding analogy?

Weeding and Expanding our Community Garden

Last night, I joined some neighbors for an evening of weeding and planning for our community garden – named the Grassy Knoll. (I wish the planners had chosen a different name – since the name they chose will be forever linked with the death of JFK for some of us. But, it is descriptive of the location.) You can imagine the looks of horror when I tell people I’m going down to the Grassy Knoll to weed or water or whatever. I avoid those looks now by just saying “the community garden” instead.

I didn’t take photos of the garden when we planted it, but did last night. One of the neighbors said that the plan for the garden was a wave but it looks more like a heart. I sort of agree with her! The sculpture in the background is called “Wind in the Trees.” We were surprised at how BIG the plants were since they were planted in May from tiny starts or transplants. We chose native prairie plants for a low maintenance garden. Weeding went really quickly with the number of people who joined us -- even in such a big space!

We apparently have some money left in the community garden bucket, so we started thinking about an expansion of the wave heart, which we’d plant in September so the plants have time to get their roots established before the winter. It’s lots of work, but makes the space look much more friendly and welcoming. So, it’s worth the effort.

Weeding -- In Other People's Gardens

I am often asked why I weed in other people’s gardens—especially when I have so many gardens (and weeds) of my own. My answer is always, “Because I can.” I can weed. I can tell the difference between a dandelion and a coreopsis—a clover and a geranium—a violet and a brunnera. I can’t knit or crochet. I HATE cleaning, and while I love to cook, I prefer to spend as much time as possible outside during the months when green things are growing. So, I weed.

I don’t mind weeding. It’s satisfying work that shows immediate results. After a day in an office where you may not be able to tell that you’ve made a difference or accomplished anything, weeding is just the thing! You end up with a big pile of weeds and a lovely looking garden! It doesn’t get much better than that!

It makes people happy to have their gardens weeded. Sometimes, the people I weed for want to weed with me – they want to learn what should stay and what should go. I start by giving them a particular weed to pull (see selective weeding) and then add a weed or two through the season. Typically, after a season, they don’t need me anymore. (Every once in a while, I go back at the beginning of the next season as a backup.) Sometimes, the people know what the weeds are, but illness, pregnancy, or an extended vacation may prevent them from getting out in the garden. In these cases, I just go to work and get rid of the weeds.

It’s early August now, which means the growing season for crops has another six to eight weeks. (Our first frost date here is about the 15th of September.) But hardy plants can go another twelve. Plenty of time to be outside and weed.

Weeding – Three Approaches

When Annie and I were weeding in her garden the other day, we went for “total weed eradication.” Our goal was to get rid of every weed in the garden – and then identify the weeds from the plants when it became clear that we were going to get rained out.

And, while it’s the most common, it’s only one approach to weeding. In addition to “total weed eradication,” I practice both random weeding and selective weeding. Sometimes, total weed eradication is overwhelming – especially if I’m looking at a big bed. Sometimes, I just don’t have time to get rid of every weed. And, that’s where both selective weeding and random weeding come in.

I do what I call “Random weeding” when I’m just strolling through and notice a “random” weed here and there. I pull what I notice and leave the rest for later. This approach to weeding requires the least amount of time. Mostly, I do random weeding on the way home from walking the dog or when I’m on the way to the car or compost bin.

Selective weeding is more than random weeding and less than total weed eradication. Selective weeding is getting rid of just one type of weed in the garden. It’s what happens when I say, “Today, I’m going to get rid of all the clover, or violets, or dandelion, or tree-lets, or grass spears.”

WARNING: Selective weeding can turn into Total Weed Eradication. It’s happened to me. I’m out in the garden pulling up violets, and then I pull up the tree-lets, and the next thing I know, it’s three hours later and I’ve accomplished Total Weed Eradication.

These are the three ways weeds get eliminated in Auntie K’s Garden. Does anyone have another approach?

Plan B

I’ve discovered it’s just as important to have a “Plan B” in the garden as it is in business. I always have a list of things that need to be done—weeding, planting new things, moving things around, cleaning and/or sharpening tools, filling bird feeders and baths, watering. So, having a Plan B isn’t difficult. But, some days I REALLY want to do a particular thing and Plan B isn’t it.

Yesterday, I had planned to help my friend, Annie, with weeding in the morning and plant new things home in the afternoon. There was a huge thunderstorm complex west of us that was supposed to dissipate before the front reached the cities. Our forecast was “rain free.” But, the storm complex held together and poured down buckets of rain on us for two hours. Annie and I weeded for as long as we could without getting drenched and then went to lunch.

But, my afternoon of planting had to be postponed. Digging would have been a mucky adventure after so much rain. So, I brought Elmer Jr. (my beautiful tropical hibiscus) and Arby (Schefflera arboricola) outside for the summer and then weeded some more. By late afternoon, the strong winds had dried the grass enough that I was able to mow. It was a satisfying and productive day, but not the day I had planned. I’m eager to get some planting done.

The weather this morning is quite humid (dew points in the mid 60s) and the forecast is for strong storms this afternoon. Time to sit down with a cup of tea and think about Plan B.

Mother's Day Reminder from Mother Nature

It’s Mother’s Day and I’m itching to get plants in the ground. But, even with our early and warm spring this year, we had a freeze warning last night, a reminder from Mother Nature that our last frost date is May 15th and we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. So, I’m going to heed Mother Nature, be patient, and wait another week to dig in the dirt.

The cold weather did not, however, prevent me from attending three plant sales yesterday, where herbs topped my list. And, I did get a few things for our new community garden. But, my favorite purchase of the day was an alpine clematis called “Pink Flamingo.” It has pink and white tulip shaped flowers and “Dr. Seuss-y” looking seed heads.

The cold did not prevent me from doing some weeding, either. Weeding is such satisfying work—giving me such a sense of accomplishment. I love how the gardens look when they are weed free. It allows me to get a good sense of the garden – what’s working, what’s not – who can stay where they are and who needs a new home. Of course, I’m going to wait until next week to start moving things around. . .

I’m Auntie K, and welcome to my garden!