Tuesday, January 12, 2016

War on Weeds

I worked in the Rose Field today ... trying to do what I can to get the weeds under control, for the umpteenth time.  My goals are modest.  Clear one bed at a time whenever the weather and soil conditions are favorable, an area that's eleven feet wide and twenty-eight feet long, and don't look too far ahead.  Be satisfied with whatever small victories I can manage ... like today.

What the area looked like before I started today.


Soon, most of the weeds are gone and I can see the ground-cloth paths again.


At the end of the day, this bed is mostly clear and raked ... a good day's work!


I have learned a lot about gardening here in this old farm soil since I designed and built this garden in 2008.  I have never seen anything like the way this place can grow weeds.  Fortunately, it also can grow really nice roses.  (In case you're wondering, the roses in this part of the Rose Field were dug and moved in July 2014, the first time that we cleared this area ... process detailed, at that time, in THIS post.)

25 comments:

  1. Gardens are a lot of work but gives back in the Spring with lots of beauty. The week of Christmas we moved so I no longer have my garden. I will miss all my plants and roses (but not those pesky Japanese beetles). I plan to only do annuals and potted plants at my home, with arthritis I am not able to work in the garden so much.

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    1. Gardening has been a way of life for me. When our girls were little, it was therapy. When they were teenagers, it was therapy. It's still my happy place. I may not get the results that I hope for, but, thankfully, I take joy from the process. (we're not going to talk about Japanese Beetles)

      I tend to kill plants in pots. I admire folks who can keep them alive.

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  2. The ground here is terrible. The only thing I can grow in the flower beds are weeds!

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    1. This property has been a farm since 1837. There were crops and livestock, and the soil is wonderful. On the flip side, the bank of weed seeds is absolutely imaginable.

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  3. Weeds are never ending but you have such a wonderful way with plants you need those weeds gone.

    Linda

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    1. I appreciate your confidence. There are days when I just want to lay down and cry over the weeds ... I see the garden so clearly without them. I'm getting it, slowly.

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  4. Florida soil is for the most part sand. Weeds seems to take over in no time, so it's an ongoing process as you well know. You did a good job in one day.

    Have a nice day today ~ FlowerLady

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    1. There are probably even weeds that are adapted to live at the Arctic Circle ... wait a minute, I KNOW there are, because we saw them when we were in Barrow, Alaska, three summers ago. I'm always amazed at the tenacity and adaptability of plants. We nurture the ones we consider to be desirable, while the ones that are truly programmed to succeed (weeds) have no trouble growing, need no tending, and some even have lovely flowers. I see this in another part of this garden, where we had a lovely crop of thistle and wild asters.

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  5. Perhaps your neighbors have a goat you could borrow?
    Here in WA we call the goat guy,
    to clear property. There is even a commercial on TV!
    If you have a chance stop by the blog I am having
    a little give-a-way. Winnie might be interested.
    Linda C in Seattle

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    1. Goats would be a good idea in season, before the tops of the weeds and brush die for the winter (all that's left of them now, for the most part, is straw.) It would work in the areas like this where there are no roses. The City Cemetery in Lynchburg has resident goats that clear the hills and banks. The staff bags the manure to sell it to support the garden.

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  6. You always amaze me and inspire me, Connie! Per your comment above, how smart that the City Cemetery in Lynchburg has resident goats. Love that! Got to tell that to hubby as his father and his family are from Lynchburg.

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    1. The cemetery packages and sells the goat manure as a garden soil amendment.

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  7. I don't have the energy for gardening of any sort, however, if I was going to try to grow something, I'd have the best luck with weeds! Those take no effort, unless you are trying to get rid of them!

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  8. I too am frustrated with the weeds, after I worked extremely hard to clear and mulch my largest bed that surrounds the front of my property, still had weeds even after spreading preen. I love my soil, old farm soil, worked since the 1800s, anything will grow in it...weeds included. But I love my soil, roses love it also! I continue my war with the weeds, good luck!

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    1. Working on weeds has turned out to be a continuous struggle to stay ahead of them. Sometimes I do okay. Other times I lag behind. In this case, I totally missed the bus and the weeds are running the asylum.

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  9. Replies
    1. Even more progress, a few days afterward! I will show it to you soon.

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  10. Connie - Such a great approach: tackle the weeds one section at a time! I really like this approach. Great progress. Enjoy the long weekend ahead. Cheers, L

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    1. Let's hope that I can keep up with what I have cleared so far. I'm determined.

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  11. I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'm a bit envious!
    I'm chomping at the bit for Spring.
    It's so frigid here and tomorrow it's only suppose to be 6 degrees BELOW!
    AAARRRGGHHH.
    I'll be huddled in the house, 'pinning" ideas to my Pinterest garden board.
    xoxo

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    1. It's those few mild days in the dead of winter that keep me fueled till spring truly arrives. I can't imagine sub-zero temperatures like yours.

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  12. That is a lot of hard work, Connie. Good for you.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. I like hard work. Makes me feel good, as I stand back and grimace from sore muscles, looking at a productive day's work like this.

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  13. Though I often gripe about how quickly the weeds take over and how often I seem to need to mulch (again) to help keep them down, I actually don't mind weeding. It's an activity you can feel good about doing, tidying up the garden, but doesn't take much brain power, so you can think over other things. I find it meditative, especially when I've got a problem elsewhere in my life I need to mentally chew on. I actually miss it by the time spring comes!

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    1. You and I have very similar ways with this, I see. My husband had offered to help with this part of the process, but I politely declined. Pulling weeds allows me to do exactly what you said, think about stuff, listen to birds, count worms, and enjoy a bit of solitude (which is a rare commodity these days.)

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