Baymule’s 2019 Garden

@flowerbug I had my husband run the lawn mower over a bunch of the lamb's quarters before we laid cardboard over them, then the mulch. I've been pulling the choice lambs quarters, poor joe and fescue for the sheep. I'll pull them some more, but I'm running out of the good stuff, Ringo is the one who goes nuts for the lambs quarters. I like your idea of chopping them down. Thanks for the compliment on my lovely, healthy weeds. We have worked real hard to improve the soil in the garden.

@thistlebloom, do you eat them is salads or cook them? I've munched on them out in the garden. It didn't take long to use up all the cardboard, it really helps smother out the weeds.

@Carol Dee I still have more to plant, not done yet. Got to get the little girls over here to plant squash. The middle one likes zucchini candy and zucchini fruit roll ups.

I found mini tiller on Craigslist for $30!!! We are going to get it in the morning. It hasn't been run in 2 years, but our neighbor and friend Robert loves to tinker and he'll go through it for us and he gets to use it too. I have been wanting one, but they start at $300. Thirty bucks? Heck yeah! Watch out you durn weeds!

Great job!

@baymule i was admiring the healthy weeds, but i was also seeing those pea plants in there too. glad Ringo is able and willing to help on cleanup duties.

even if you get overwhelmed in a garden you can break it down in how to recover. some spaces you just smother if you have the materials and if you don't you can selectively weed the worst weed as a priority (i hate ragweed so that is one of the weeds i don't compromise on and is in the top three for removal on sight - the other two are thistles and the small blue flowered stuff that spreads too easy and i react to so badly when i pull it) and then keep it mowed until you can get back to it with less extreme measures.

if you can get a stirrup hoe and use that on the garden regularly you will be able to keep up a rather large space. they're very quick to skim along IF you can get the weeds as they sprout and before they get to the woody stem stage. that is how we manage the bare garden spaces we have going inside the large fenced area. i can skim the gardens that don't have the spring perennial flowers in a few minutes each. the strawberries and other perennials take more time because i have to hand weed around everything (including all the edges and decorations and pathways).

I have giant ragweed too. In August when it hits 100 degrees all my enthusiasm for weed whacking. Evaporates. The ragweed shoots to over 6 feet and has a base like a tree trunk.

baymule said:

I have giant ragweed too. In August when it hits 100 degrees all my enthusiasm for weed whacking. Evaporates. The ragweed shoots to over 6 feet and has a base like a tree trunk.

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i don't think we have giant ragweed, but it will reach 6ft in a few months. and i understand about the too hot being an issue. at that point of the summer we work in a morning shift and sometimes are able to get out in the evening for a bit, but there are two of us here so sometimes we can coordinate on dealing with a space.

we just talked a few minutes ago about the NE garden and agreed to go out and walk around in a few moments to see what is up (a few plants i'd like to have her mow around them - she wants to raze everything).

then i will ask her about priorities and what i should work on next... wish me luck... lol

Yeah, I understand wanting to go around versus whacking every thing down. Check my carefully “go around “ on the Black Eyed Susan wildflowers in my tomato trellis. LOL

Lambs quarters, the sheep can think of them as rations from the quartermaster or quartermistress .

They are okay raw or cooked; flavored much like their relative, spinach.

If you want a better salad green, grow orach. Harvest either young. Orach volunteers happily so I don't know if it might become invasive in some places. There is a wild close relative - I believe that it's in Arizona ...

Steve

It’s raining. English peas were ready again, so I picked them. This is from the little row, not the y’all double row previously pictured. The double row is just getting started.



Then I picked a mess of purple mustard greens from volunteer plants.



I picked Merlot burgandy leaf lettuce. Pretty isn’t it?



And some green leaf lettuce



And a couple green onions apiece to go with supper.



I piled it all in the bowl.



And took it inside and washed it all up. Mustard greens are simmering now, lettuce and onions are crisping in the refrigerator, DH shelled the peas and they are in the refrigerator. Going to fry some hot water cornbread tonight to go with supper. Yum!

had to look up hot water cornbread, fried. YUM!!