Thursday, March 24, 2011

Shhhh... it's a secret.


Mother Nature has a way of teasing us at the change of each season. Beautiful days of sunshine, temps creeping up into the 60's only to be followed by a burst of cold and snow. This is the pattern until Spring finally arrives in full splendor. 

While my gardens are just beginning to wake from their long Winter's slumber, it's the perfect time to prepare the flower beds before summer arrives.

I've learned a great secret in my 30 plus years of gardening.  
STAY AHEAD OF THE WEEDS. 
Seriously. 

It's amazing how fast those weeds grow even when the temperature is so cold.  The perennials and budding leaves need the sunshine to coax them from their sleepy state, but those pesky weeds seem to thrive in extremes of cold or heat.

A friend tells me that their family has mandatory weeding days - "Everyone go out and get 25 weeds out of the yard" - early in the Spring when everything is super wet and they slide out easily.   
  
When I was a child, my Dad paid me a nickle a weed to dig the dandelions from the lawn. Inflation may set the price a bit higher today, but it's a great way to keep your kids and grand-kids involved.
  
Our rule is to NEVER let a weed go to seed on your property, you will be battling that weed's posterity for a million years if you do... so don't!  

Stay ahead of the weeds now before the warmth of the sunshine invites them to multiply and replenish. But shhh...don't tell anyone I said so, because it's a secret.

Guess what I'm doing on Saturday?

    11 comments:

    1. Wise advice! How do they manage to sprout and bloom so fast?!?

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    2. I need to get out as well as long as the ground is not frozen...it is right now...I cut my gardening teeth on weeding dandelions as a child...wonderful memories...this was one of my "gonnas" this year so i would not be overrun..thx for the reminder..

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    3. I love the color combo on your blog. Did I just not notice this before? Silly me.

      Weeds, don't have too many right now because I garden in containers on my deck. But maybe when we get our place next spring, yay!!!

      Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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    4. Good advice ... Happy Spring :)

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    5. what great advice, if only I could control the chickweed mess that is our front lawn! The never ending battle continues...

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    6. We did that yesterday! 20 dandelions deheaded by my boys (who were in trouble and needed an opportunity to learn to WORK TOGETHER!!!). This is just the beginning though, I know!

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    7. Good advice. I've got a bunch of winter annuals I need to get to...

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    8. Weeds love our mild winters in central NC! I often end up weeding during the winter, although I love the Lamiums in a lot of places because the bees love them so much.

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    9. I remember pulling dandelions from our yard. It wasn't my favorite thing to do. I preferred making clover chains.

      Now that I have my flower beds, I love weeding. I have an assortment of types of hoes that I like to change up so that I'm going at different depths and angles.

      I hope the weather permitted you to do your Saturday weeding.

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    10. Thanks for the wise advice. I usually don't want to go outside to weed until it's a beautiful sunny day. I guess I'll bundle up, brave the cold, and go weed picking!

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    11. I agree with your philosophy, although mine has had to become a tad different as I live in Weed, California! I have a 29 acre spread and garden only a small portion of it. I learn the names of the weeds and thin them regularly but I'll never, ever win the battle!

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