It would sound like I’m an ungrateful shrew if I complained because Vince “helped” in the garden while I was in Missouri and pulled up all of my artichoke plants so we won’t talk about that. I won’t mention that it takes at least 2 years for them to grow before producing and I had been babying and pampering them and was so proud of all the artichokes they produced in the spring. I had cut them back because I read if you cut them back, you may get a fall crop so, in his defense, they did look like a dead stem sticking out of the ground. He feels bad (I hope). What’s gone is gone. I’ll get more next year and try again.
This weekend we picked the last watermelon, pulled up the last of the onions, spread lots of rabbit and chicken poop and began preparing for a fall garden.
I was ever so pleasantly surprised to see that since I cut back the asparagus in the middle of last week, it’s producing again. In fact,we had asparagus for dinner last night. Vince said “Does this mean we will have asparagus every night now til Christmas?” and I said “If we’re lucky” but I wanted to say “Yes! And we might have been having artichokes too!” but I didn’t say that.
Fall Garden
The plan for now is to plant onions and garlic in this spot. Maybe there’s room for carrots or beets there too. I’ll have to see how much garlic I ordered and how many onion sets end up coming home with me.
In the fall garden, in addition to garlic, onions, carrots and beets, I hope to plant lettuce, cabbage, kale, and whatever else might grow here.
Grass Burs
No doubt there will be a huge crop of grass burs too. These are the ones that made it back from the garden to the porch and all I had done was walk into the very entrance of the garden to turn off a water hose. They’re in the rugs in the house. They’re in our clothes. They’re in my yarn. These little rascals could be what causes me to give up gardening and become a couch potato!
wanda jordan says
Judy,
This is an idea for you don’t know if you have ever tired it. Put black plastic down where grass burs are when they first come up. Let the sun bake them and get rid of the seeds. Or maybe put down newspaper with cardboard thick on top of everywhere you walk so you don’t have to walk in them.
Can you maybe also cut them down before they form the bur part. I mean down to the ground or even burn them with a blow torch. We need to find so way for you to get those things gone.Those things are a pest to you it looks and sounds like.Maybe agi department in your area can suggest what to do.( like furterlize to kill?) surly something can be done.
Sorry about your artichokes you were so looking forward for more.
JudyL says
We’ve checked with the county agents here as well as in surrounding counties and all they recommend is either RoundUp (NOT gonna happen!) or a pre-emergent. I’ve resisted even the pre-emergent but this year I’m giving in. We’ll have to use the pre-emergent 3 – 7 years so it’s a battle we may never win.
The best idea is to pull them all out before they go to seed but with a 100′ x 100′ garden, all it takes is a few days of not working in the garden at least 8 hours and the grass burs have taken over. This year, with my mom being sick, and Chad and Nicole being here or a week, I lost control of the grass burs early and they won.
Burning is the worst thing to do (they say). It burns off the outer seed coating but doesn’t harm the seeds that are inside and that makes them more productive. Plus, we have a burn ban and I’d be too afraid to have any fire out there due to our drought.
This past year I had hoped to get shredded cardboard down in the garden (as a mulch) but that didn’t happen so maybe next year we can get that done.
Thanks for the tips. Something has to work!
Joyce Wilson says
Judy,
If you spread hay on your garden as a one leaf overlapping mulch, I think that it will work for you. Expensive, yes, but two fold. I am talking alfalfa hay here, not grass hay.
After things get started in the spring, I start laying it down in thin leaves. Spoiled alfalfa is the best thing around.
First I weed and water heavy, then lay it on the paths and near my plants. It makes a good dry path. We sprinkle our garden and I will do that for two days at a time. The alfalfa retains moisture underneath and I can go longer days without watering.
The alfalfa mulch makes a good tight and dry path to walk on. I can see snakes, and such also. Weeding is cut dramatically and the weeds that do make it through are very easily hand pulled. I just throw them on top of the mulch and they dry and become, more mulch.
The alfalfa breaks down into the richest soil. Lovely, two fold gardening plan.
Expensive? You would have to consider that cost verses all the added benefits to your soil.
Come fall I just add more where I need it. When I plant, I rake the mulch back and plant. Of course I start with a double dug garden for intensive planting, don’t change my paths, rotate crops, and never dig again.
You can read about double digging intensive gardens and also the old Ruth Stout books on gardening with Hay, and not waiting for the plowman.
Just try it out on your entry paths maybe where the burrs are their worst. Cover them with 2 1/2 to 3# of old hay to make your walking easier and cleaner and to keep the burrs down.
Burrs do not like moisture. Pull before they head. They are easy to see on the mulch, and easy to pull.
(I also use garden shoes, rubber clogs with socks in summer and and slip on boots in winter and they stay in the outside entry to slip on at the porch. It gets cold on the porch and there are those creatures that like to curl up inside your shoes out there.)
Of course I have never lived in Texas, but I have lived in central valley Tulare Co California and now in dry Wildfire Eastern Washington and this works for me. We are basically burr free now on this place, in our used areas.
Its lazy gardening but works with you in age problems also and gives you more time to smell the flowers.
Joyce
Deb Miller says
I, like Vince, did my husband a “favor” and weeded his garden when we were dating. I pulled up most of the asparagus. He took it very well, but in my defense, it WAS growing in a big bed of weeds! Right now, he is trying to turn the yard into a park, so we have no gardens and have no time for them. Maybe someday again, but I think not for years, and then, who knows…
We also had a lab that used to love asparagus, so what did come up, got eaten by her when she went out! But then she used to pick her own wild strawberries and raspberries too.
kate says
awww, shucks, I really wanted to see a photo of Judy using a flame – thrower on the burrs…. that would have been so fun to see !
Peg says
Oh Vince. Bless his heart…
Diana G says
Best thing we were told for those darned cockle burrs (that is the name I know them by and I am sure there are other names for them) is to pull the plant before it blooms. Our neighbor smothers them with tin sheets, then he pulls them. Leaves the tin down for a week and then goes out and pulls what is left being sure to put them in a plastic bag when he pulls them, twofold on this one to finish smothering them and then if there are seeds they will not pollinate anywhere else. Then he states to be sure to use rubber gloves as he found out he is allergic to the cockle burrs and the plant.
Andrea says
I’m so sorry about your artichokes! It reminded me of the time I came home and my husband was so proud that he’d helped me out. He sprayed Round Up on all the fuzzy dandelions for me. The problem was that the fuzzy dandelions were actually orange poppies that I adored. I couldn’t really be mad at him because he was trying to help, but I was so disappointed. Needless to say he doesn’t do any weeding unless I’m there to point out what has to go. 🙂
Ashley says
We call those tack weed or goat heads up here in WA state. And, they are awful!
JudyL says
They seem to be called something different everywhere and yes, they are awful.