Controlling Weeds

Perhaps the biggest challenge with gardening is weed control.  There is no way to garden completely weed free, but there are methods and ways to control or manage weeds.

What is a weed?

Each area of the country seems to have specific weeds that are a constant struggle. Here in New Harmony, Utah white top and morning glory are some of our biggest challenges but there are many others.   

To help develop a strategy you must first understand your enemies. I have heard people say that a plant out of place is a weed so a tomato in a flower bed would be a weed.  

I disagree with that definition.  Weeds have specific characteristic that make them a consistent reoccurring problem in cultivation practices.  Weeds have short life cycles but in that time are prolific reproducers.  The can have more than one seed cycle and can propagate vegetatively as well.  Their abundant seeds can remain dormant in soils for years. All these factors make weeds a challenge for any type of gardening.

Annual Weeds

Annual weeds spread through your garden by seed.  The seeds can be brought into your garden from animals, birds, or even by sticking to your shoes and clothes.

Examples of annual weeds include crabgrass, lambs quarter, pigweed, spurge, purple dead nettle and bur buttercup.

There are cool season and warm season annual weeds.  Cool season weeds will make their appearance in early spring, disappear in warmer weather, but may return in the fall.

Warm season annual weeds will emerge and remain throughout the growing season.

Bur Buttercup which is toxic to livestock

Perrienial Weeds

These culprits are by far the hardest to eradicate.  They spread by seeds and through aggressive vegetative structures such as stolons and rhizomes.  Stolons and rhizomes are underground and have buds that produce new plants which is why tilling does not kill these weeds.

Examples include bindweed, white top, quack grass, and thistle.

There are two prime times to apply herbicides to perennial weeds.

  1.  The first critical time is spring before flowers open.  At this time root reserves are depleted so the plant is sending sugars from the leaves down to the roots.  The herbicides will move with the sugars down to the roots.  
2.  Another critical time is in the fall when the plant is moving sugars down to the roots for storage for the winter.  Perennials are least susceptible to herbicides after flowering and during seed development.

Redstem Filaree or Cransebill

Plan of Attack

Discouraged?  Don't be.  Let's talk strategies for managing weeds.  

1. Prevention

• Be sure vegetable, flower, and woody plants you bring into your garden are weed free
• Clean your tools.  If you use a shovel outside the garden area be sure to clean it before using it in your garden
• Use weed free mulch and compost.  Often homemade compost does not reach high enough temperatures to kill weed seed.  I would use bagged compost in garden beds and in greenhouse.  Save homemade compost for fruit trees and large field gardens.
• Mowing unmaintained areas to prevent weeds from going to seed will help.  In my large field garden we till every couple weeks a path around the garden and mow from that path on out. You can mow around the outside of greenhouses and your garden
• Keep garden paths weeded.  I have found this is easier if you put down a heavy duty weed cloth and cover it with a synthetic bark.  If that is not feasible use a hula hoe every week to weed the paths.  
• Disturbing the soil is as good as planting weed seed.  Do not disturb an area you are not going to use.  You can mow the area but do not till.
• Regularly monitor for weeds

Mullien

2. Mechanic Control

• Striking at the right time!  Weeding is import the first 6 weeks of spring to control early annuals and perennials.  The first 6 weeks of summer are also a vital time to weed to get emerging warm annuals.
• Hoe when dry: hand pull when wet.  Hoe when the soil is dry especially in paths the sun will then shrivel up the exposed roots.  If you hoe when its wet the weeds can and will reroot.  Hand pull weeds in garden beds and rows when the soil is wet so you can get all the roots.
• "One years seeding mean seven years weeding"  Do not allow weeds to flower and seed.  If you have neglected weeding attack those ready to flower and already flowering.
• Mulch, mulch, & mulch  after you weed an area cover it with at least 2" of mulch
• Lop off their heads.  Cutting off the flower heads of weeds you can't pull will buy you time.  This is also helpful with hard weeds like bindweed (morning glory).  Consistently pulling any bindweed prevents reseeding and forces the plant to use up food reserves in the roots.
• Flaming small emerging weeds is very effective.  In preparing a garden in open ground you can till or work in your compost, wait two or three weeks and flame any emerging weeds.  Be sure to plan ahead so you aren't late planting
• Weed whacking 
• Brush mower 

Dandelion

3.  Pre-Emergent Weed Controls

• Products containing corn gluten prevent germination of seeds
• I use a pre-emergent on my lawn to control dandelions.  Apply it in a broadcast spreader when the forsythia blooms because this is when seed will start to germinate
• Pre-emergents weed control does not kill existing weeds.

4.  Herbicides

• Herbicides are designed to kills plants.  They can be non-selective meaning they will kill all vegetation.  There are also selective herbicides.  These herbicides are divided into 2
  groups broad leaf  or grass selective.  Broadleaf herbicides kill broadleaf weeds while grasses are unharmed. Grass selective does the opposite.
• The growth stage of a plant will affect the performance of all herbicides.  Seedlings are more susceptible to herbicides than mature weeds that are not actively growing but instead focusing energy on seed production.   Most weeds are less susceptible to herbicides after flowering
• Organic Burn Out is non-selective and kills or damages all plants.  It contains clove and d-limenol oil. 
• I have also used Captain Jacks Dead Weed Brew on weeds outside garden areas 
• Herbicides in my experience need to be used while weeds are small and in some cases repeatedly
• Important note I always hand  weed in my gardens.
• We mow weeds in other areas (we have 5 acres)
• Herbicides are used selectively for example around a fire pit and along fence lines.

Here's a link to USU Landscape and Garden Weed Identification Guide:

Common Weeds of the Yard and Garden

White Top

Potatoes: Tasty Tubers

Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops to grow. While the tops grow, flower, and then die back tasty tubers are forming underground.  Digging in the cool rich soil pulling out tasty potatoes grown organically is a thrill!  With skin colors from purple, blue,  red, and brown potatoes are anything but boring!  Some of the harvest will store well into the winter with very little preparation.  And some will be enjoyed on the day of harvest because nothing beats a fresh baked potato. 

Potatoes  are a family favorite with endless cooking options:  baked, boiled, roasted, shredded, steamed or fried.  They can serve as a taste side dish, in a salad, or even as the main event at a meal.

They are a great storage crop and can be processed in a pressure canner or dehydrated.  With so many options why not give the spectacular spud a try?

Purple Viking Potatoes

Are Potatoes Healthy?

Potatoes are actually nutritional gold mines.  They contain  vitamin C, potassium, iron and are a good source of fiber. They also contain B vitamins, vitamin A, minerals like zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium, and antioxidants. In fact, one medium potato with its skin can provide half of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. In a survival situation, this would definitely be an important crop because it is calorie and nutrient dense characteristics.

Kennebec

Why Brother Growing Potatoes?

Why not just purchase potatoes from the store?  After all they are inexpensive, so why go to the effort to grow them?  There is a difference between fresh potatoes and store potatoes.  Texture and taste are so much better. Also there are so many varieties and colors and shapes of potatoes each suited to  a particular use and cooking method. Flavor ranges from nutty to sweet and from mild to intense.  Each variety has its own texture.  The texture determines what dishes each variety is best suited for.  Once you start growing your own spuds you will always find a space for them in the garden.

Besides the endless options of varieties,growing your own potatoes means you are getting an organic pesticide free potato.  Commercial potatoes are heavily sprayed with chemical fungicides and pesticides.

Purple Viking

Picking a Potato

Potatoes are planted from whole or partial seed tubers.  Use only certified seed quality tubers not grocery store potatoes.  This prevents the risk of certain diseases.

Potatoes can be characterized by maturity date, any where from 65-180 days, and skin type.  There are early, mid season, and late varieties.  I like to plant at least one variety of the early, mid, and late season potatoes. This extends the potato season allowing us to enjoy these yummy spuds from late summer through fall.  Skin types include russets, smooth, and colored.  Some varieties exhibit some resistance to potato disease so that is another factor to look at.  Each variety allows a different yield from light to heavy yields. Storage length is also another consideration with the late season varieties being the best for storing.

Weeding and prepping the field

 Planting Potatoes

Start with egg sized potatoes.  Larger potatoes can be cut and left out overnight to cure at room temperature.  Potatoes can be planted 4-6 weeks before the last frost date as long as the soil can be worked.  They like a sandy soil with lots of organic matter. 

 I start with a trench 1-1 1/2  feet deep. Leave the removed soil on the side of the trench. Before planting, I add dry organic fertilizer.  I  plant the seed potatoes 8 inches apart.  Cover the potatoes with only 2 inches of dirt.  

When the potatoes emerge and have about 6 inches of top growth cover them with another 2-4 inches of soil.  Continue to do this until the plants are level with the surrounding ground.  Then mound up one more time around the potatoes so they are actually  growing on a hill.  This is important because potatoes form between the seed potato and the ground level.  Mounding ensures an abundant crop.

Care of Potatoes

Other than the dry organic fertilizer you put in the trench potatoes do not need any other fertilizer.  You can cover emerging potatoes with compost once while mounding them and again when you hill them. Straw can also be used to mulch potatoes just be sure it is seed free. 

Even moisture is important to prevent mishapen potatoes.

Pests

There are a few pest to watch for in your potato crop.  As with all your crops, a stroll through the potato plot looking for signs of insect damage will result in early detection and possibly save your crop.  

          
 Colorado Potato Beetle

This beetle reside in most states despite the name Colorado potato beetle.  Check the underside of leaves, looking for masses of orange eggs.  Destroy them!  The adult beetle is yellow with black stripes.  The larvae is dark red or orange with black spots.  Both adults and larvae feed on the potato foliage.  Pick them off or spray with Neem and Spinosad.

 
Flea Beetle

Flea beetles are small pesky black beetles.  They chew small holes in plant leaves damaging young plants.  Rotating your crops and maintaining high organic matter in the soil will help.

Diseases

Problems with disease vary from year to year.  The determining factor will be the weather. Moisture and temperature and the right host make disease pathogens active.  

There are some preventative measures you can take.  First of all it is very important to rotate where you plant potatoes.  Potatoes and tomatoes are in the same family so keep that in mind when planning your crop rotation. Second always use certified disease free potato seed.  And finally use a regular organic spray routine throughout the season.

I have found the following spray routine effective for both pests and disease:

• Neem Oil
• Spinosad
• Kaolin Clay

I put all three sprays in the same sprayer and apply every two weeks.  I also add kelp and fish emulsion.

 Scab

The fungus that cause common scab lives in the soil for many years.  It is inactive if the pH of the soil is below 5.4.  You can take a soil test to determine pH.  Look for scab resistant varieties.

Late Blight

Late blight was responsible for the Irish potato famine.  It is caused by the fungs Phytophthora infestans.  This disease loves cool, wet weather and spreads as the weather warms up.  Look for water soaked areas that turn brown and black as the leaf dies.  Both potatoes and leaves can be affected.  Be sure to plant certified seed and follow a regular spray routine.  If weather conditions are right add Serenade to the spry routine.

  Mosaic Virus

  MosaicVirus is spread by aphids.  It causes leaves to curl and they look two toned.  This virus occurs throughout the United States.  Kennebec and Katahdin, two of my favorite storage varieties, have some resistance to this virus.

Let everyone help look for potatoes!

Holding the lids open

Harvesting Potatoes

You can harvest new potatoes before the main harvest.  This robbing can be done 50-60 days after planting.  A good time to rob for new potatoes is right before flowering.  Just gently reach into the hill and remove the new potatoes. Be very gentle.

Potatoes for storage are dug after the plant flowers and the vines begin to die.  They must be dug before the ground freezes.  

To check for maturity dig up a plant and rub the skin.  The skins should not rub off. If they do and weather permits leave them in the ground a couple more weeks. Harvest in the morning on a dry day.  Dig your potato fork to the side of the plants and gently lift out the spuds.  Digging around will result in finding more potatoes.  It's like a treasure hunt.

Brush off the dirt but do not wash until you are ready to use them.  I cure them in a cool garage on a rack which allows circulation and continues to cure the skins. Curing allows skins to harden and cuts and bruises to heal.

Used to store potatoes in the house.

Storage rack to cure potatoes in my garage.

Storing Potatoes

Potatoes are stored best in cool, dark, and humid conditions.  The ideal temperature is 40 degrees with 80-90% humidity.  Lower humidity causes potatoes to shrivel and light causes them to sprout.  In the west it is difficult to maintain high humidity, but do the best you can to maintain good storage conditions.  Not all varieties store well so use them up first and save those varieties intended for long term storage for later.

Varieties I like:.

Early Season 

Purple Viking: early, purple skin, white flesh my favorite.  My all time favorite

Red Norland:  Red skin, white flesh resistant to scab
Moutain Rose:  Red skin and flesh

Mid Season: 

Katahdin:  Reliable, white flesh, good storage, a must in my garden
Kennebec:  Large, reliable, large yields, long storage, excellent

La Soda Red:  Dark red, white flesh, disease resistant, high yields


Late Season:

Carola:  yellow flesh, excellent quality, drought, scab, and blight resistant, high yields
All Blue:  Large blue skin and flesh, high yields

Be sure to place online potato orders early or you will not have very many choices available.  The sell fast.  

---

Culinary Herbs Part 2: Herbs Best Grown from Transplants.

This is the second part in a two part series of creating a culinary herb garden.  Culinary herbs are both useful and beautiful.  They are easy to grow and have both culinary and medicinal value for you and your family. 

Culinary Herbs Part 1: Herbs Grown Best from Seed 

If you are venturing into the world of herbs for the first time then culinary herbs are a good place to start.  The herbs discussed in this part are those best grown from transplants or cuttings.  Part 1 of Culinary Herbs focuses on herbs you can grow from seed. Although they are easy to grow from seed, culinary herbs are usually easy to find potted at your local nursery.

Herbs Best Grown from Transplants

Sage, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and mints 


Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Sage is an essential herb in stuffing for chicken, turkey and pork. It is a strong flavor. Whether used in cooking or not, it is worth saving a spot in the garden for sage.

Sage is a perennial that needs full sun.  When established it is drought tolerant and is not partial to feet feet.  It needs a well drained soil.
Most sage will not grow true to type if planted from seed so purchasing transplants is recommended. Sage can be propagated from cuttings.

There are ornamental types with variegated leaves but for culinary purposes be sure plant to the plain grayish leafed variety.  All sages are a great addition to any garden because bees and pollinators love the flowers.  

Prune sage each spring.  Leave the old wood and remove the top half of each branch.  This encourages new growth from the base.

To harvest cut 6-8 inches of leaves above the woody growth before the plant flowers.  They can be air dried in bundles or in a dehydrator.

Oregano

Oregano is a culinary favorite. Finding the right type for culinary use is important.  Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) will be a culinary disappointment. It has mild, bland flavor. It is a beautiful flowering perennial but not a good choice for culinary use.  Unfortunately it is often sold for that purpose at the garden centers and nurseries.  

Best Culinary Oregano


Greek (O. vulgare subsp. hirtum). Vigorous and very hardy. Grows to 3 feet tall with green, slightly hairy foliage. Greek oregano is generally best for most culinary uses, with 'Kaliteri' (a strain within the species) delivering the truest of oregano flavor (see below). Zone 5

'Kaliteri' (O. vulgare 'Kaliteri'). This Greek strain is truly among the best (kaliteri means "the best" in Greek). Grows to 18 inches tall with silvery gray foliage. Spicy and flavorful without being too bitter. Zones 6 & 7

Italian (O. 5 majoricum). Also sold as Sicilian oregano or hardy sweet marjoram. Italian oregano is an exquisite blend of sweet and spicy, without the bitterness of more intense types. That characteristic flavor varies, however, as Italian oregano is a hybrid resulting from crossing sweet marjoram with oregano. Plant form, leaf size, and color can vary depending on the parents, but most plants are upright in growth to 2 feet tall, with small pale green to gray-green leaves. Wonderful fragrance and gourmet flavor. Zone 7
(Rodale's Organic life)

Oregano makes a nice ground cover.

Sweet Marjoram is more delicate than oregano.  I purchase seeds and grow it in pots.  The seeds are very fine so just barely cover.  It is easier to find transplants to enjoy sweet marjoram.
  Oregano is a low growing compact herb.  It will need to occasionally be divide to prevent it from sprawling.  Do not over water and plant in soil that drains well. 

Harvesting:  Cut stems as you need them using the leaves in cooking.  Since oregano dries well you can make 2 large harvests by cutting it back to 2-3 inches before it flowers and then again in fall. 

You can air dry by bundling the stems and hanging in a dry, dark place or use your dehydrator.  I store the leaves on the stem in mason jars and crumble the leaves as I need them.

You can also preserve by making an infused oil or putting leaves in ice trays covering in broth, oil, or butter. 

A designated herb box in my veggie garden with salvia, catmint, and thyme.

Mints

Mints share certain characteristics:  they are perennials, with square stems, paired leaves, and whorls of small flowers.  They spread by seed and by underground rhizomes.  Because of this they are very invasive!!  They need to be contained.  I only plant them in pots.  They will seed rhizomes under raised beds and spread so you have been warned:  Beware of the square stem!

Chocolate mint in a pot with petunias.

I like to plant peppermint, spearmint,  and chocolate mint.  Pick the chocolate mint leaves and rub them between your fingers....it heavenly!

Mint leaves should be dried quickly or can be enjoyed fresh in lemonades, mint waters, on vegetable dishes and fruits.

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)

French tarragon is the herb for culinary use.  It is a mix of anise, licorice, pepper, and basil flavor.  Russian tarragon which is sometimes sold as a culinary herb in seed is a bad choice.  It has a repugnant, bitter flavor.  Rub the leaves and smell your fingers to be sure you are purchasing French Tarragon. Do not purchase seed even if it is labeled French tarragon.  The French variety is only propagated by cuttings or root division.

Pick leaves and use fresh.  It does not dry well.  If you are unfamiliar with tarragon it is often blends with other herbs.  

Fines Herbs
Chervil leaves minced
Chives chopped
Parsley leaves minced
French Tarragon leaves minced
Use equal parts

Fines herbes are good on scrambled eggs, in salads, mayonnaise, butters, vinaigrette, and on vegetables.  (Herb Companion May 2012)

 Bonnes Herbes
Basil leaves minced
Chervil leaves minced
Chives chopped
Dill sprig
tarragon leaves minced
fresh ground pepper

Very good in potato and egg salads, pasta, rice, and in salad dressings. (Herb Companion May 2012) 
It is best to enjoy this herb fresh.  Drying results in a lose of flavor.  Freezing is a better options for preserving.  Chop the leaves into ice cube trays and cover with broth, melted butter or  your favorite oil.  The leaves can also be preserved in oils and vinegar's.

Culinary Uses:  creamy soups, egg dishes, fish, asparagus, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini or mushrooms.  

Thyme

The best culinary thyme is Thymus vulgaris.  It is a perennial small woody shrub.  It has similar growing conditions to oregano.  

Harvest the leaves when the flower begins to bud.  Cut the stems to 2 inches above the ground.

Thyme retains its aroma very well when dried and in cooking.

Lemon thyme

Lemon thyme is one of my personal culinary favorites.   I prefer to use it fresh or infuse in cooking oils.  It is delicious on vegetables, chicken, fish, and eggs.  It is propagated by cuttings so purchase transplants.

There are other landscape thyme's such as creeping thyme and wooly thyme which make great ground covers or are beautiful in rock gardens.  There are golden and variegated varieties which all have a purpose in landscape but not culinary use.

General Care:
 Keep weeded
Mulch lightly
Pinch back flowers,
Stake if necessary
No fertilizers just a good soil amended with compost.