I declare war!

I spend most of last weekend weeding. The battle is on between me and the weeds. I feel that I should learn as much as I can about them in order to learn their weakness.

First up is the dandelion. I can usually get the whole tap root if it is growing in a highly mulched area with loose soil. Otherwise, the root breaks and I am afraid it will grow back. The chickens will eat there leaves though, so at least I have an alli.

I dislike Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) because there are so many of them and they are small. It is very time consuming to pick them all out. My strategy is to knock them over with the hoe and hope they do not come back.

This is a weed, which I know little about. It may be Wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus) It is a vine which grows quickly. It also has little white flowers (yes some have flowered, I know it is bad). It has long thin roots and arrow shaped leaves.

Another threat is a thistle perhaps Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) which I have been unsuccessful in removing. It has a long tap roots and spreads by underground runners. It is very prickly so you need gloves when handling.

I also have Cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.) all over. I thought they were wild strawberries at one time.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is in the strawberry patch. It says they are edible so I will see it the chickens like it.

And many more I have yet to identify. I have to say reading some of these weeds descriptions is a great motivator for weeding especially when they say "one plant may shed 40,000 seeds."