While out watering my vegie patch this morning I was thinking about the weeds around my beans.
Not a lot of weeds but they are tall enough to shade the roots of the beans.
This got me thinking….. even though weeds can swamp plants and rob the soil…… on a hot day like today…. they are of some good use????
So i am thinking I’ll leave the weeds there until this hot spell is over with…..
Thoughts…………………..
perhaps if you can stop the weed from multiplying then maybe the benefit is okay…
pain master said:
perhaps if you can stop the weed from multiplying then maybe the benefit is okay…
What I need to do is get some straw and mulch the area…….
Weeds are better than bare soil.
Bubba Louie said:
Weeds are better than bare soil.
This is what I was thinking…….its shading the roots….
Weeds.. as mulch.. the idea is to mow or slash them. Leave the roots in the ground and grow your weeds as a living mulch.
This practice is carried out in many orchards.
Care needs to be taken however with those weeds that develop woody stalks as if slashed they may become sharp sticks that aren’t fun to walk on.
Some people think the way I plant my patch is rather odd.. lots of inter planting… like lucerne/alfalfa .. pockets of lupines.. sunflowers as been sticks Col
urban-wombat said:
Some people think the way I plant my patch is rather odd.. lots of inter planting… like lucerne/alfalfa .. pockets of lupines.. sunflowers as been sticks Col
This is what I’m aiming for with my vegie beds.. lots of helper weeds (e.g. rocket, lettuce, herbs popping up from seed wherever they want), plus things all mixed in together rather than lined up in neat rows. It’s looking more this way since I have popped marigolds into all the little gaps.
bon008 said:
urban-wombat said:
Some people think the way I plant my patch is rather odd.. lots of inter planting… like lucerne/alfalfa .. pockets of lupines.. sunflowers as been sticks Col
This is what I’m aiming for with my vegie beds.. lots of helper weeds (e.g. rocket, lettuce, herbs popping up from seed wherever they want), plus things all mixed in together rather than lined up in neat rows. It’s looking more this way since I have popped marigolds into all the little gaps.
I just allow things to happen in my gardens.
Sure I may plant some parts but most are basically self contained parts of the garden that seasonally self sow themselves.
We have been brainwashed into thinking “weeds” are bad, but without them I believe we are in strife. Weeds bring up nutrients from the deeper soil regions and when they die return those nutrients to the surface to be used by shallower rooted plants such as our veges. Weeds create fertility in spent soils. As long as your veges are getting enough light and water then you weeds are probably doing more good than harm. If you feel that they are hindering your veges then use then as mulch as roughbarked said so that the stored nutrients and carbon are not lost. Grass, on the otherhand, steals nutrients.
The typical farming practice these days is to poison any growth other than the mono-crop being grown and that is destroying the soil and creating a greater dependency on artificial additives, which degrade the soil further. That is one of the reasons I believe why our farms are in so much trouble.
Okay it’s not really a weed..but can get out of control….one of the stars in my plot is ….warrigal greens…..I let it grow wild in the beds.. keeps the soil cool .. and once a week or so give it a good thin out.. 90% ends up in the compost Col
urban-wombat said:
Okay it’s not really a weed..but can get out of control….one of the stars in my plot is ….warrigal greens…..I let it grow wild in the beds.. keeps the soil cool .. and once a week or so give it a good thin out.. 90% ends up in the compost Col
I was given some cuttings this year and it has just about taken over the bed it is in! I love it though, as it provides an ongoing source of greens, and the chooks don’t mind it either :)
i was thinking the same this morning. i see it as a jungle. you could say plants like company.
weeds that protect others include the amaranthus, sunflowers, creeping boobialla, marigolds, portulacea, prickly lettuce. watermelon act like a growing mulch as do several other ground covers.
like you i keep their numbers down but they certainly save the delicate plants in this weather.
veges gone so seed – like parsley and lettuce also offer shade.
Parsley for example I allow to self seed. I have also mowed it down and allowed it to regrow thus getting double benefit of mulch and seed.
One of my parsley patches I harvested and got 26 litres of cleaned seed, just for the exercise.. What did I do with it? I tossed it back on the parsley patch.
I allow lettuce and radish onions carrots beetroot etc to go to seed. I save tomato, capsicum, beans corn and all that.. for resowing.
As long as I get a seasonal rain at the right time then the place just blossoms.
Lucky1 said:
While out watering my vegie patch this morning I was thinking about the weeds around my beans.Not a lot of weeds but they are tall enough to shade the roots of the beans.
This got me thinking….. even though weeds can swamp plants and rob the soil…… on a hot day like today…. they are of some good use????
So i am thinking I’ll leave the weeds there until this hot spell is over with…..
Thoughts…………………..
Remove some so as to reduce competition but leave enough to shade the roots? I’d cut off the seed heads so you don’t have an ongoing weed issue though, bearing in mind the old phrase ‘One years seeding – seven years weeding’
hortfurball said:
Lucky1 said:
While out watering my vegie patch this morning I was thinking about the weeds around my beans.Not a lot of weeds but they are tall enough to shade the roots of the beans.
This got me thinking….. even though weeds can swamp plants and rob the soil…… on a hot day like today…. they are of some good use????
So i am thinking I’ll leave the weeds there until this hot spell is over with…..
Thoughts…………………..
Remove some so as to reduce competition but leave enough to shade the roots? I’d cut off the seed heads so you don’t have an ongoing weed issue though, bearing in mind the old phrase ‘One years seeding – seven years weeding’
Good idea……..
Lucky1 said:
hortfurball said:
Lucky1 said:
While out watering my vegie patch this morning I was thinking about the weeds around my beans.Not a lot of weeds but they are tall enough to shade the roots of the beans.
This got me thinking….. even though weeds can swamp plants and rob the soil…… on a hot day like today…. they are of some good use????
So i am thinking I’ll leave the weeds there until this hot spell is over with…..
Thoughts…………………..
Remove some so as to reduce competition but leave enough to shade the roots? I’d cut off the seed heads so you don’t have an ongoing weed issue though, bearing in mind the old phrase ‘One years seeding – seven years weeding’
Good idea……..
leave the parsley for one years seeding and yep it will be more than seven years weeding saved. 
urban-wombat said:
Some people think the way I plant my patch is rather odd.. lots of inter planting… like lucerne/alfalfa .. pockets of lupines.. sunflowers as been sticks Col
Other people would call it permaculture…
roughbarked said:
I just allow things to happen in my gardens. Sure I may plant some parts but most are basically self contained parts of the garden that seasonally self sow themselves.
Great night pic! Very atmospheric with the ghostly forms of plants in the background.
hortfurball said:
roughbarked said:
I just allow things to happen in my gardens. Sure I may plant some parts but most are basically self contained parts of the garden that seasonally self sow themselves.Great night pic! Very atmospheric with the ghostly forms of plants in the background.
aptly titled “a shot in the dark” ;)
thanks for enjoying it.
bluegreen said:
We have been brainwashed into thinking “weeds” are bad, but without them I believe we are in strife. Weeds bring up nutrients from the deeper soil regions and when they die return those nutrients to the surface to be used by shallower rooted plants such as our veges. Weeds create fertility in spent soils. As long as your veges are getting enough light and water then you weeds are probably doing more good than harm. If you feel that they are hindering your veges then use then as mulch as roughbarked said so that the stored nutrients and carbon are not lost. Grass, on the otherhand, steals nutrients.The typical farming practice these days is to poison any growth other than the mono-crop being grown and that is destroying the soil and creating a greater dependency on artificial additives, which degrade the soil further. That is one of the reasons I believe why our farms are in so much trouble.
All you have to do is choose which weeds to keep. :)
hortfurball said:
bluegreen said:
We have been brainwashed into thinking “weeds” are bad, but without them I believe we are in strife. Weeds bring up nutrients from the deeper soil regions and when they die return those nutrients to the surface to be used by shallower rooted plants such as our veges. Weeds create fertility in spent soils. As long as your veges are getting enough light and water then you weeds are probably doing more good than harm. If you feel that they are hindering your veges then use then as mulch as roughbarked said so that the stored nutrients and carbon are not lost. Grass, on the otherhand, steals nutrients.The typical farming practice these days is to poison any growth other than the mono-crop being grown and that is destroying the soil and creating a greater dependency on artificial additives, which degrade the soil further. That is one of the reasons I believe why our farms are in so much trouble.
All you have to do is choose which weeds to keep. :)
A weed is simply a plant you haven’t found a use for.
Lucky1 said:
Good idea……..
:)
roughbarked said:
Parsley for example I allow to self seed. I have also mowed it down and allowed it to regrow thus getting double benefit of mulch and seed.
One of my parsley patches I harvested and got 26 litres of cleaned seed, just for the exercise.. What did I do with it? I tossed it back on the parsley patch.
I allow lettuce and radish onions carrots beetroot etc to go to seed. I save tomato, capsicum, beans corn and all that.. for resowing.As long as I get a seasonal rain at the right time then the place just blossoms.
Such a good plan.
pomolo said:
roughbarked said:
Parsley for example I allow to self seed. I have also mowed it down and allowed it to regrow thus getting double benefit of mulch and seed.
One of my parsley patches I harvested and got 26 litres of cleaned seed, just for the exercise.. What did I do with it? I tossed it back on the parsley patch.
I allow lettuce and radish onions carrots beetroot etc to go to seed. I save tomato, capsicum, beans corn and all that.. for resowing.As long as I get a seasonal rain at the right time then the place just blossoms.
Such a good plan.
26 L WOW how large is the plot Col