Sometimes we love them. Sometimes we hate them. When the weeds are choking out the seedlings we have so lovingly sprouted in our gardens, they can be the bane of your life.
When you are foraging for chicory and dandelion roots to make coffee substitutes, they can be little treasures that have made themselves present in your yard.
It can be a bit of a tug of war, but in the end, whether you want to embrace or banish weeds, it can all be done with a little gentle care that helps protect our gardens and the earth as a whole.
Check out these OGP articles that give advice and tips on loving or eradicating those persistent little plants.
1. DIY Garden Sprays
To keep chemicals and poisons at bay, there are lots of homemade products that you can concoct that can help kill weeds, deter pests, and ward off fungal diseases using simple and safe ingredients that you will likely already have in your pantry. Though companion planting can go a long way in helping to manage such garden dilemmas, sometimes, you just need a little bit of extra help. Have a go at making these 3 Homemade Sprays to Ward Off Garden Problems.
2. Weeds Talk
Whether you are a gardener or not, if you have a yard of any description, you have probably noticed a few volunteer plants, aka “weeds”, popping up here, there, or all over the place. Love them or hate them, these tenacious little plants are telling you a great deal about the properties of your soil and giving you clues about your growing conditions. This information can help you determine what might grow well in your area or how you could amend your soil accordingly to grow what you want. Learn What These 4 ‘Weeds’ Are Trying to Tell You About Your Yard.
3. Sown Seed or Weed?
Tomato, basil, and kale seedlings might be obvious to seasoned veggie growers, but what does a tiny toothache plant or a chamomile seedling look like? You wouldn’t be the first to either nurture a plant, thinking it was one thing only to find that you have raised a nice crop of weeds, or unknowingly weed out the very seedlings you were trying to grow. For the new gardener, having some tips on how to tell the difference between a sown seedling and a weed is pretty useful. Read on to learn How to Tell The Difference Between Sown Seedlings and Weeds.
4. Chicory Root: A Wonderful Weed
Though it is not native to North America, Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a familiar name and a familiar plant to many. It grows wild along roadsides and in meadows from late summer to fall, showing off its abundant blue blooms. Others may have heard of chicory as a coffee substitute or coffee flavoring. The roots of the chicory plant as used as a hot drink on their own, with their earthy, nutty flavor working as a caffeine-free replacement for that morning coffee. Read on to learn how to grow your own wonderful weed in Chicory Root: How to Grow, Roast, and Use it!
5. Stinging Nettle: A Wonderful Weed
Considered a weed by many gardeners, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a highly nutritious and delicious plant that you could forage or even grow for yourself in your backyard. Sure, when a plant has the word ‘stinging’ in its name, it does not fill one with much love or desire to want to be around it. And, it’s not an exaggeration that this plant really can sting you. When working with stinging nettles, it is advised to use thick gloves to protect you from the stingers! With the horror stories behind us, let’s look at the benefits of this impressive plant and How to Grow and Use Stinging Nettles.
6. Foraging ‘Weeds’
It’s the time of year when lawnmowers and weedwhackers can be heard buzzing and whirring in every neighborhood, with people desperately trying to keep the roadsides trimmed and their yards weed-free. But, if you just stop for a moment and take a closer look, many of those ‘weeds‘ that folk are so deadset on destroying are little gold mines of flavor, nutrients, and foraging fun. Read on to learn all about Foraging for Clover, Dead Nettle, Yarrow, and Pineapple Weed.
7. Get Rid of Weeds
The thing about weeds is that they are typically very successful, vigorous plants that can take over a space much more readily than, say, a crop of carrots or a stand of beans. When we want to grow something specific to eat rather than eating whatever grows, even edible weeds can be a real problem. With that in mind, it’s helpful to know natural ways of keeping weeds out of the garden, and oftentimes, the best methods are contrary to what has been happening conventionally for the last few decades. Check out these 10 Tips for Keeping the Weeds Out of the Garden without Constantly Having to Pull Them.
8. Dandelions: A Wonderful Weed
By now, the backyard foragers amongst you know the gem that is the mighty dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Even those not too into picking your dinner from the lawn will no doubt be able to spot a dandelion a mile off and perhaps even know a little of its uses. Instead of fearing and detesting this ‘weed’, we can grow to love it, just like the pollinators! Let’s admire it and use it for all the wonders that it gives us. Read on to learn How to Forage and Use Delicious Dandelions.
9. Wild Edible Flowers
Spring brings with it an abundance of new life and new, yummy things for the pollinators to spy on and feed on. Flowers are blooming everywhere, on trees, in gardens, and all over our lawns. Many spring flowers, however, do not provide food for just the birds, bees, and butterflies. With a little practice and patience, these blooms can bring color, beauty, and flavor to our plates, too. Learn how to identify these 5 Edible Flowers to Forage This Spring.
10. DIY Weed Killers
Weeds are a human construction. Plants are plants, each with its purpose, proclivities, and problems, but for some reason, at some point in time, some plants become recognized as weeds. Truth be known, dandelions were imported to the US as a salad green, but they’ve been so successful, popped up uninvited (and stayed) in so many lawns and gardens, that they’ve become weeds. If weeds have become bothersome for you, take a look at these 10 Natural Weed Killers and Suppressors.
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