The Garden Journal

You’ve got a handle on those weeds now, right???

Clearing out weeds from around emerging perennials, like our peonies, is the priority right now. Just staying on top of them is something our team has to dedicate time to every day. On top of all the other Spring tasks, you might see this is a big job…

When we open our farm to visitors, we may have some weeds. We probably will. No, we will. We always will. It is impossible in an operation this size to eradicate every single weed all the time. It exhausts me to even think of it. I’ve talked before about our priority strategy when it comes to weed control, so our main objective is removing the most problematic weeds for our gardens first, and then tackle the less annoying ones next.

This is one reason why we are so determined to keep foot traffic out of our growing areas. Foot traffic does 2 things: it disturbs the soil system, releasing seeds from the seed bank, and it compresses soil, which damages the soil systems, again, making a better place for those weeds that like “disturbed” soils best. I’d encourage you to do what you can to keep foot traffic in your planting spaces to a minimum. Gardeners will lay out a piece of foam or cardboard in areas they are working to spread weight out over a larger area. Putting in designated foot paths or stones that you adhere to no matter what can be helpful as well. Sometimes, weeds are actually being carried by you, on the bottom of your shoes, and will be transported from one area of the garden to the next, unbeknownst to you!

Weeds are not necessarily “bad”. Most of them are just plants in the wrong place, and actually do no harm in the environment. For some, dandelions and clover are welcome sights in their garden. They are fine in our grass areas, but not allowed in our cultivated spaces, or our cutting garden, due to their large root systems and ability to spread. So, it’s just finding what is tolerable to you, in your space, and managing it in the way you see fit - chemical free, of course.