Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Bindweed

Isn't this flower just lovely?
NOT!
I grew up knowing this as Morning Glory.  You never found it growing in people's gardens.  You would find it in alleys and in over run properties.  I know the wheat farmers judge each other by how clear their fields are of Morning Glory.  But, this is not the lovely blue flower that climbs on peoples porches.  This is Bindweed, a very noxious weed.
 
Unfortunately, our yard is crawling with it.  A couple of weeks ago, we went to  an outdoor festival at the Tukwila Community Center.  There we learned that the bindweed's seeds can lie dormant in the ground for 20 years!!!  I've tried all the safe methods on them, such as vinegar, but it seems to act like a fertilizer to them.




Here it is climbing all over the fence in the back where our raspberries grow.
We just have to be vigilant and pull on them whenever we see them.  It's a huge job.  They send out runners that go for yards under the ground.
To clear this 10 x 10 foot patch, we had to go through and dig out all of the bindweed and the spreading buttercups.  It was a big job, but we did it.  The Fletcher Urban Farm is on it's way.
 
 
When I left the farm, I gave my Muckboots to my friend, Cynthia.  I said I would never wear them ever again.  Well, here I am, wearing Terry's Muckboots that I gave him for Christmas two years ago.  He has tiny feet, so these are just a little too big for me, but when planting the garden, I really needed them.

We covered the soil with wet newspaper, and the pathways with cardboard.  Then covered it all with straw.  This should cut down on weeds and keep moisture in the ground.

Here is our first picking of the raspberries and blueberries.  I put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer to get them frozen, then put them in bags and seal them with my Foodsaver.  This combo of raspberries and blueberries is fantastic in a Smoothie, or a sauce for German Pancakes.
 
 
I found the idea for these mini German Pancakes on Facebook.  You make them in a muffin tin, and they are just delicious.

3 comments:

hammerhorses said...

Hey Linda! I've recently had AMAZING luck just using boiling hot water (from making some apricot jam, it was the water from the submersion bath canner) on noxious weeds - it has literally killed everything, grass, dandelions, and all sorts of awful things! Try it! It might do the trick, but it has to be VERY VERY VERY hot!

Unknown said...

I always thought those were morning glories....I never saw why people liked them.
I will say those raspberries look so yummy! I am jealous.

Jean(ie) said...

Bring on berry season! I love it up here with berries ALL SUMMER LONG... In the South, it is only for a month or so (if you're lucky).

I say get some brightly colored muck boots. Make a statement :)