From Seed to Skillet by Jimmy Williams

Author:Jimmy Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 978-0-8118-7221-8
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC

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WEEDING: THE NECESSARY EVIL

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My grandmother called weeding “the necessary evil,” and to me, it was—one of the few garden jobs I truly hated. I have friends who feel differently. For them, working methodically through a bed and gently routing out the chickweed, crabgrass, and oxalis serves the same meditative purpose that watering does for me.

And there are huge benefits to the garden if you stay on top of weeds, pulling or hoeing them when they’re small, since they’re fast and vigorous competitors that steal water, nutrients, light, and growing space from edible plants. They can also harbor insects and diseases, not to mention that they reseed like crazy, leaving generations of themselves behind to wreak havoc on your future gardens.

One defense against weeds is something many of you already do—fill your garden beds with good-quality potting soil that isn’t full of weed seeds to begin with. Raised beds have the further advantage that, being raised, they’re harder for weeds to invade from the sides. In addition, planting the majority of your edible crops from seedling transplants, rather than direct-sowing seeds, gives the edibles a head start in their competition with weeds.

Whatever strategy you choose, keep an eye out every day for plants that don’t belong. If you pull them out when the soil is damp (from rain or a recent watering), you’ll do a better job of getting everything, roots and all.

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