Hoe, Hoe, Hoe

July 2012

Pickaway to Garden

Hoe, Hoe, Hoe

By Paul Hang

Christmas in July! I will wear my socks that have HO, HO, HO and candy canes intermittently scattered on them to a gardening event. I get double duty from them. I can wear them to celebrate the jolly red-suited icon as well as that jolly giant green man.

The year is half over. Henry David Thoreau recorded in his journal "How early in the year it begins to be late." In July we look back at spring and look forward to autumn. Many blooms have turned to seed, eggs to birds and seeds to weeds. Even though this sense of the year fleeting by gives me pause, I need to recall that summer has just begun. The gardening season is in full swing and even though a lot of chores have been done there is still a lot of work to be done. The good news is that half the weeding season is also over.

My favorite definition of a weed is, "A plant that is growing where you don't want it." There are plants that are economic liabilities for agriculture and a nuisance (Johnson grass for one). There are ordinances against allowing "noxious" weeds to grow on your property. There are weeds whose blooms are ornamental. So the term is relative. A lot of weeds look "weedy" with small flowers and "unattractive" foliage. Often what we call a weed is a plant that does not suit our purposes, is not useful.

In my beds I have pulled such "weeds" as walnut, maple and mulberry trees, tomato plants and even flowers that I don't want. Thinning out beets and carrots is also an example of weeding out gardens. I do have a shingle oak and a Japanese maple, weeds that I plan to dig up and transplant this fall to a place where I want them.

There are hundreds of weeds. I could talk about a top forty or the ten worst, instead let's consider three that have vexed me this year. Probably the most prevalent and prolific weed for most urban people is the dandelion. It appears early and stays late like an unwanted guest. It is conspicuous in our lawns and even though, let's be honest, it has an attractive flower and smell,  we don't want it there.

Purslane is a sprawling, fleshy, small dark green wedge-shape leaved spider-like plant whose pink stems radiate from the center. If you don't catch it in time it will have small yellow flowers that are only open for a few hours and then only when the sun shines brightly.

Rounding out the terrible triumvirate is Canada thistle (from Europe). With spiny alternate and lobed leaves, growing from two to six feet tall with nice, often pink, flowers most everyone recognizes it. These three seem almost immortal. Thistles and dandelions have deep tap roots. I defy you to pull up the whole root and if just a small amount is left the plant regenerates. Purslane, even if pulled or its stems broken off, can regenerate from those stem pieces, even if they've been dried for a week. Dandelions and thistles readily seed through "parachutes" that help scatter their seeds to the wind. Purslane comes from a good family, Portulaca. P. grandiflora, also called Moss Rose is a cousin. Purslane is the black sheep.

What to do? You can hoe'em, pull'em, poison'em, or eat'em. Even goats won't touch Canada thistle but people eat dandelions and purslane. In both cases the young shoots and leaves are used in salads and as cooked greens. Sorry, no recipes. I have read that dandelions are not a problem in England because they are readily eaten there, although I'll bet the weather there also has something to do with their scarcity.

As with most pests prevention is the best cure. Pre-emergents, mulch or intensive planting which shades the ground are tactics you can employ to try and prevent this terrible trio. Continuing to pull will eventually exhaust them. However it is problematic as to who will be exhausted first, them or you. Unfortunately, tilling just brings up more seeds to the surface and the battle begins anew. Building good soil and minimal tilling can help keep them at bay. Be a good neighbor and, even if you don't try to get rid of weeds, at least cut off the flowers and don't let them go to seed.

My gardening nemesis Rusty Scab once thought he had this weed thing figured out. After he had planted his garden seeds his neighbor observed him using one of those hand held spreaders cranking furiously as pellets sprayed all around. He asked Rusty what he was doing, fertilizing? Rusty replied, "Yeah, I'm using Weed and Feed. It'll save me a lot of work." The neighbor informed Rusty that the Weed in Weed and Feed was a pre-emergent that would prevent the germination of seeds, all seeds. It did save Rusty a lot of work. He didn't have much of a garden that year.

I haven't even considered other weeds that give me fits like nimblewill and ground ivy. And then there are poison ivy and poison hemlock, two plants that cause blistering misery for a lot of people. I've just begun to scratch the surface on weeds. Hoe, Hoe, Hoe.

I attended the Garden Gala again this year. I really enjoy seeing how different our gardens are. The people who agree to open their gardens for us to see are to be commended for allowing us to be voyeurs and inspect their efforts. We should also thank them for the hard work they undoubtedly perform in getting their gardens ready for public inspection. I know it is daunting for me to even think about it.

Please support the Farmers Market at Tractor Supply on Rt. 23, Saturdays 9 am to 12 noon til August 11.

Things to do in the garden:

This is the time to dry herbs. The best flavor is to harvest just before they flower. Pick on a sunny dry day and in the morning, if dry weather is forecast, so much the better. Hang them upside down in a hot, dry, dark, well ventilated spot in an attic, barn or shed. The second week of July you can seed cool weather plants for a fall garden. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels’ sprouts, parsnips, lettuces and spinach are all good candidates for cool weather. Finally (don't we wish), weed, weed, weed.