Learning to Garden Again: Warring with Weeds

far and also is plagued by purslane - Did you know that this weed is edible? You can just pluck some and toss it into a salad, but it is also good sauteed with a bit of butter. Ot I sauteed some with mild onions in butter then added the teeniest splash of champagne vinegar (a technique I like to use with asparagus, as well) and it was quite delicious.

After all - if you can't conquer it, you may as well get some enjoyment from it.

The Quickie Version
Lessons Learned While Weeding

The main thing is not to let a weed flower and go to seed. If you do that, a single weed becomes a field of them. So, since I can't possible keep up with my millions of already existing weeds, I have adopted the following strategies.

• If at all possible, do not walk past a weed without pulling it.

• If there are hundreds of tiny weeds, don't hesitate. Grab your hoe and start uprooting them.

• If removing the weeds seems impossible, then keep an eagle eye out for any that start to bud. Carry shears of some sort at all times and quickly clip off any incipient flowers.

• If you miss the flowers and the plant has started to go to seed, try to put the flower heads in a bag of some kind before carrying it to the trash. Otherwise you are scattering those seeds everywhere.

• Never compost a weed that has gone to seed - it simply makes for a weedy compost heap. Burn or bag.

• Best policy is to dig up a weed, roots and all. Failing that, clip them off as close as possible to ground level. The weed depends on sunlight to nourish the root system, so if you deprive it of that by constantly cutting it down, it eventually gives up and perishes.

• Do not get so carried away in your pursuit of weeds that you kneel in an anthill and fail to notice it until the ants are marching around in your underwear.

• If this happens go inside and remove all clothing and throw in washer immediately. If not, you will feel crawly things all day whether they are really there or not. A bath of shower for you also helps. Apply lavender or tea tree essential oil immediately and the bites will magically disappear.

• Better still, use a spray insecticide made from lavender and peppermint oils mixed in water. It repels
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