Nieces Weeding the Lettuce
You might notice that I’m not very good at weeding the garden, and I really don’t think it’s good for the soil anyway. I tend to let the majority of non invasive plants grow, so long as they don’t choke out mine. I will let some plants grow unchecked, such as clover, mushrooms, most non clumping grasses, and a good selection of plants I don’t know by name. I’ll pull up any pig weed I spot, as well as a few other difficult to pull weeds. I do this to help the soil retain the nutrients it contains in an active life cycle. I also leave pulled weeds to rot in the rows between my plants.
I believe this lazy method allows the cycle of life to constantly spin, with the decomposition cycle occurring at the same time as the growth cycle. I also believe the weeds will absorb some of the excess chemical fertilizers ( Miracle Grow plant food) and hold them in limbo until the plant is pulled up, and left to rot. The rotting plant matter will feed the soil slowly rather then running off as a pure chemical would.
In other words, I think of the weeds like little catch basins. As the chemicals I spray run off, they can be trapped by the weeds which then grow faster. When I pull the weeds from the ground those chemicals from the fertalizer feed the decomposition cycle, and to make a long story short, more of the chemicals are locked into the soil in a active life cycle. I realize I may be dead wrong in these assumptions, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Muddy Hands
So here are the junior farmers that helped me pull weeds, and leave them to rot back into the life cycle. The lettuce is one area of the garden I try to keep free of weeds out of simplicity’s sake. It’s much more difficult to sort out the weeds after you bag up lettuce then to simply keep the area weed free in the first place.
So how did I get that first shot from such a high angle ? I climbed up the side of the greenhouse like Spider Man….. o.k., well maybe not with spider silk.
Playing Spider Man
Kids and Adults, don’t try this at home.
I propped a ladder up against the greenhouse at the same angle as the roof, then carefully climbed to the top. Now that I know this method works, I’m hoping to find a longer wooden ladder….
