Weeds

[galadhir]

Ugh, I'm going to stop weeding the garden. Or at least, I'm going to make sure what the weeds are before I pull them up.

I pulled a plant out from underneath the comfrey this morning, thinking "Well, you are definitely not something I planted!" And then I thought, "let's check to see what it is." So I turned my plant identifying app on it. Lo and behold, it was Wood Avens, aka Herb Bennet, which I have been trying to grow from seed for two years without success.

Wood Avens, aka Herb Bennet, aka Cloveroot has edible leaves and a root that smells like cloves, which can be dried and used to keep the moths off your clothes - while also giving them a spicy scent. And we have such a problem with moths!

I fished it out of the compost bin and replanted it asap.

I'm really beginning to think that there is no such thing as a useless plant. And if it has uses, why would I not want it in the garden?

Admittedly, this is from the perspective of someone whose garden has a lot of bare soil that I need covering asap. I may feel different when the Wood Avens is fighting with the strawberries for dominance. At that point it may need to watch itself. But rn I'm definitely going to check everything before I run rampant with the hoe.

Comments

[mistressofmuses]

My mom has always been a big proponent of "the difference between a weed and a wildflower is perspective". (Some of these are herbs or otherwise useful things rather than wildflowers, but the spirit is kind of the same.)

[galadhir]

Definitely! I'm a big proponent of the "Don't spend a lot of time trying to keep things alive that want to die, or to kill things that want to live in your garden," approach that Mark Shepard talks about in Restoration Agriculture. On the other hand, if it hadn't been edible and also moth-repellant I might have thought twice about it taking up space something more useful could occupy :)

[mistressofmuses]

Ooh, that's a good approach!

Though fair point - with limited space and resources, sometimes you DO have to make choices about what gets them. But as a guideline, I think that's a good one.

[watervole]

If you've got a lot of bare soil, do you want suggestions for plants?

[galadhir]

I don't have an awful lot of bare soil left, but yes please - specifically for areas that really don't get much sun. Three hours a day at the most. And ideally plants that are edible or good for pollinators, or good for the health of the garden - like comfrey and nettles that can become fertilizer. My long term aim is for it to become a mini food forest :)

[watervole]

I'll put some photos on my page.