I Hate Weeds!

If you think tackling weeds is fun, please come to our yard and have all the fun you want . I do love the wee flowers - they are pretty and cute - until they grow into a massive jungle. Out here if unkept, they would dry up and die and it would be impossible to pull out as the roots would by then be miles into the ground. Our clay dirt can be like cement. Oh, I forgot you had raspberries !

@Ineeddentures We can't burn stuff here anyway. Yah, besides laws, my neighbors will get on it if anyone does. Apparently years ago one of the neighbors was regularly burning trash in his yard and the neighbors got him cited for it. How big of a raspberry patch do you have? Are they easy to take care of? I don't know if they'd grow well here . . . too hot and dry.

@much2say My Raspberries are contained in an 8ft x 8ft square planter. They grow wild. The only care they get is a year end cut down to the ground. Then in spring they start growing again. LA, might be a tad too warm for them but if they were sheltered and well watered they might do ok

Some weeds actually are kinda cute. I do love the little flowers - oh but the rest of it grows monsterously and spreads everywhere. How is your garden at Solitaire this season?

@allknowing I know - I'm sorry to not have "visited" you in a long while. I am barely here . . . and yes, things are hectic here. I hope things have been good with you . Solitaire is always thriving . It must be a joy to see those new flowers bloom !

@much2say I do not see you these days Must be busy in the off line world Solitaire garden is as green as ever but with new flowers.

@much2say Like weeds .Lol!

@snowy22315

I never get to them fast enough. I was working on them slowly from a couple months back . . . but geez they grow way too quickly.

I need to do all that right after I get rid of the weeds . . . but then I don't get around to it . We have some mulch around certain areas, but boy we'd have to get a lot for the whole yard. Good idea about the cardboard.

@much2say ........thanks. I've been researching gardening.

@celticeagle I'm still working on it .

I had one little area with black trash bags and big pots on them so they don't blow away. It does seem to work but oh gosh I would have so many areas to cover. I need to go find some big cardboard. I've been weeding away everyday . . . I've made a dent in the project . . . but there's still a lot to do. Right - we need the bees to keep coming! It's gotten fairly warm now that these weeds are past the floral stage - some are actually frying under the sun now. And me too .

@rebelann Geez I've taken too long to respond . . . trying to catch up! Half an acre sounds huge to me. Our property is not even a quarter acre . . . that's pretty much how it is around this neighborhood anyway. The hard part here is we get wind blowing in seeds . . . or the critters bring 'em in somehow. Every property has walls, so if seeds come in, they most likely stay within the walls. What kind of soil do you have? Here it's dry, hard clay . . . it has to be fortified to create a nice garden. But weeds seem to thrive in this clay dirt - they are just survivors. Ohhh, I'll have to look into baking soda! There are areas where I don't think we'd be planting, but I just need to make sure it doesn't seep into the existing garden areas.

I have a half acre and what I accomplished with the trashy stuff I put over the weeds is seed production. Once seeds are eliminated there won't be anymore 'weeds', all I have to do is keep the 'weeds' from cooking up ripe seeds. I've got some of my area weed free but the down side is now it's all dirt with where nothing grows. Oh, if you're not in a hurry to try to grow things like grass or flowers try using baking soda, it kills most plants in their tracks.

From your past posts, I have the memories of your garden and your neighbor cat friend. I'm sure they miss you. When we lived in the apartments, we had a few potted plants - and that was probably what suited me. Having a whole garden is SO much work! How are you and your husband doing? I am glad to hear you are doing well in your new place. Sorry for being extremely late . . . I am forever behind here these days.

@LadyDuck That is nice you are getting to visit the area where you had lived and remain friends with your neighbors. So are you in Italy now, pretty close to Switzerland then? You take wonderful care of your husband, you know him best . . . happiness is so important for one's well being. I understand the confusion as we are going through it with my MIL - she is in "memory care" but honestly it's not truly "personal" care. I admire all you do for your husband. Please take care of you too . Thank you - we are "ok" - just extremely busy. Life seems to have really taken over!

@much2say - I miss my neighbors' kitty, he visited us several times a day. We go every two weeks to have breakfast at the coffee shop that is near our ex house in Switzerland and that is only 10 miles from here. We go to see our neighbors, they were such kind people. My husband is very confused, he remembers nothing, but he feels well and happy here, that counts a lot for me. I hope you and your family are well.

Sorry I have taken way too long to respond! I am STILL working on the weeds . . . in fact I worked on my mother's yard all day today - and them came home to do more in our yard. The battle is never ending. I never knew the official name of that stork head weed. When we were kids, we all called it "the spiky weed". At the time there weren't too many of them . . . and now they can be seen everywhere - they are quite invasive. Interesting - how is geranium wilfordii used as a treatment - as a tea? Hope you and your family have been doing well!

@changjiangzhibin89 Thank you! Glad to hear you and your family are fine! I think since my last response, things have gotten even more hectic. I guess that is life .

@much2say Never mind ! I know you are busy every day and not that active here.We all are fine,thank you ! Wish your family and you doing well ! Usually decoct the geranium wilfordii by prescription.

There actually are many cool looking weeds - some that have teeny weeny flowers that I do love. But they invade places where I don't need them to be is the problem .

@much2say Yes they are ferocious invaders.

Mother Nature knows how to keep her end going .

@Tampa_girl7

@much2say she sure does.

I guess there are many different clover types? I love clovers when they can be kept at a short lawn level - but these guys (maybe they are more like wood sorrel looking at photos) get tallish and grow burrs underneath. If they get dried out, they are a pain. I'd keep 'em if they laid low . . . the problem here is they all get tall and turn our yard into a jungle. Dandelions can be a pain too - for us it's the littler ones. We try to get to them before they turn "blowable" but I swear sometimes they just pop out of nowhere. I have heard mint can be very invasive. I try to do the weeding early in the morning while the soil is somewhat moist . . . and then I do them in patches in the shade. I love the sun - I just don't want to be under it all day to pluck out weeds . Yah true, always nice to spend time with my mom .

@much2say Wood sorrel have the yellow flowers and, as long as you haven't sprayed the yard with anything, they can be eaten in salads or just by themselves. They're good. I've never seen burrs on wood sorrel, though. I think you have more than two different types of plants growing in that photo. Mint is a real pain in my tush. I didn't realize they'd start tasting bitter if the different types mingled and that's what happened in the flowerbed. Pretty shouldn't have put chocolate mint in the same flowerbed as regular mint. Mingled, they're nasty tasting. There should have been warnings on their packages that they are invasive. I didn't know that. After a rain, especially if they've been mowed before the rain, dandelions will grow really tall and make the yard look overgrown in a day or two. Pretty just mowed the day before the rain and then it looked like she hadn't mowed at all and she won't go back out until the whole yard looks overgrown, not just the dandelions. *SMH* My mom never worried about weeds in the yard. She always had a kid handy to mow whenever she wanted one of us to mow. I enjoyed talking with her whenever but did get tired of the constant calls to come do work at her house... It seemed like I was the only one she ever called.

Weeding a day keeps the doctor away . It really has taken a lot (too much) of my time - and it's not something I want to do . It's truly great when someone else can do all the yard work . . . it is loads of work and as I'm getting older, I'm realizing I can't possibly do this every single year in spring .

@Marilynda1225 It's hard . . . the older I get, I'm feel it . . . as for yard work, I just cannot see myself doing this all the time for the next decades. I think of how much easier it was to not have a garden when we were living at the apartments . We do not get snow here, but I'll bet shoveling snow is quite a difficult task!

@much2say back in the good old days when I was young and could bend I didn't have much trouble keeping up with the yard work. It was tiring but good exercise. When I decided to move where I am now my first criteria was to make sure I had someone to do the yard and shovel the snow. I'm too old now to do any outside work.

We can hire gardeners to maintain our yard, but we don't as it's too expensive for us. I think at this point, our yard would scare away any potential workers for hire . It really is a huge chore.

@aninditasen I am exaggerating a bit . . . it's not quite a jungle, yet . They have at least been chopped by now so they will not be overgrown for the moment . . . but when the weather gets cooler we really will need to get to the roots. Glad you have someone to do it!

@much2say That's really something disturbing. I get the weeds cleaned before they are over grown. Thank God I can still hire a person.

My late father was a gardener by occupation . . . he looked after many gardens. He of course took care of our house garden - and I realize now how I had taken that for granted. Now we "try" to take care of the yard as my mother still lives in that house . . . it is NOT easy to do all the yard maintenance that my father used to do. Do you remember your father's gardens well?

@Shivram59 Yep - that's just what happens .

@much2say ,I understand. Children ignor what their parents want and try to teach them. They understand its value when they themselves grow up, but by that time it is perhaps too late

Your wife must have a beautiful garden! My late father was a gardener by occupation as well (he had worked in his family farm in Japan and went to agriculture school there). He used plenty of pesticides and paid for it with skin conditions later on. I know they work, but I worry about health - that's why we don't use them.

@Nakitakona Ah, then it makes sense for her to use them. I like potted plants in that you can control their environment better.

@much2say Not so for her plants abd flowers have a limited space to grow.

Cockroach of plants . Oh man, I don't know if we have the same type of thorn bush as you, but you're right - those thorns get everywhere. It's no fun when it gets stuck in your sock and then it starts jabbing at your skin ! These type of plants have some serious survival skills . . . they will outlive humans for sure .

@much2say Our dog Delta brings them in constantly. Used to be Brooklyn, but Kai once in a rare blue moon will step on one. Delta still steps on them so often and used to be Brooklyn before she passed. Brooklyn did teach her how to get them out of her paws. She goes, look young buck, you do not want to be depending on a grubby human. Pull it out with your teeth and eat it so the thorns do not come back. Delta till this days still does it. She is only three and was tripping out because I go Brooklyn had to teach her that. Same style and everything. Kai poops on the sidewalk to avoid those thorns. On walks Brooklyn would step on them so often but never Kai. Kai may act dumb. but sometimes she is really smart.

I've been busy with so many other things too - sorry I haven't been on myLot too often to visit you, Erly! We had thought about cementing one side of the yard, but have put the project aside. The weeds have mostly been frying under the summer sun . . . but still we have much more yardwork to do .

@much2say if they can only be cooked he he. Weeds grow nonstop. Sometimes, we hire someone to do the cleaning.

Hi Judy! Sorry it's taken so long - must catch up! How did it go with your niece's garden? Surely your mother's green thumb showed through during those weeks . We battled most of the weeds but the rest are frying in the summer sun now - which mean's it's not over .

@much2say It went really well thanks. I planted some rainbow chard and lettuce seedlings for her and they were doing really well by the time they got back.

Yes, it's like a full time job with major overtime on top of that . We got to a lot of it - but now the rest are frying in the summer sun. Oh my goodness . . . I hope your arm has healed since your response here . . . yah, weeding would be most difficult with a cast on . I cannot do any planting until we get a grip on this weed situation. Best of luck with your new plantings!

@much2say my arm still has not healed….it was a very bad break….

Hi Linda! Sorry it's taken so long to respond. When we moved here, Hubby wanted to fork out for a landscaper/gardener, but I really wanted to us to do it ourselves. Plus I was scared it would fry under our Southern CA heat as our water use is restricted out here. So we now have "free" weeds - and they have taken over the yard .

@much2say Good to see you back. I finally ended up paying someone to clear out all the weeds and spray. I also had them put down mulch. It looks so much better; and the guy said he would spray and keep up with the weeds.

Those weeds come from nowhere and grow like crazy. Ochro is okra?

@much2say Yes it is.