In my seemingly never-ending battle with the bindweed, I discovered last summer that if I dig up as much of the weeds as I can and cover them with a heavy layer of grass clippings, I don’t have as big of a problem with them. I’m behind on planting everything this year, but my rhubarb is my staple that shows up without fail.
Armed with my floppy hat and flip flops, I began the tedious task of digging up the bind weed, other weeds, and grass that had slowly been creeping in, to protect it from being choked out. While my husband mowed the lawn and brought clippings, I took my sweet time getting as much of those dumb roots out as possible.
Had I done my research better last fall, I would have found out that spraying bind weed with RoundUp in the fall before the freeze and again in the spring when everything just starts coming up significantly decreases the bind weed problem. That’s on the list for this fall, but it doesn’t help my current situation.
Back to my digging, I was glad I had watered that area a couple days before. Even with the extra water, the ground was plenty hard. Wouldn’t you know it, my digging tool broke. Just flat broke in my hand. At that point, I was disgusted with the entire day anyway and called it quits on the digging. I did manage to get my tomato and pepper plants all planted. Still have to get my cucumbers, melons, and fruit bushes in though.
I’m looking forward to next summer for the raspberries, blueberries, and grapes that will get planted this year. This fall, though, I plan to learn how to can properly. I’d love to have a stockpile of pickles, pasta sauce, and salsa. If anyone has any tips on that, be sure to let me know because I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.
