A way with weeds

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." –A.A. Milne

Laura YoungECB Publishing, Inc.

In late spring and early summer, as the garden plants get strong and productive, weeds can become more prevalent too. Many people hate weeding, and it can be a chore. Even though I use a light leaf mulch to reduce evaporation and control weeds, I still get weeds. Mostly, I do want the weeds to go "away," but at the same time I've found "a way" with weeds that makes them nearly as fascinating and enjoyable as the plants I'm purposely nurturing. It starts with one simple question: "How can I use this?"The answer leads to some sorting as weeds are removed. What I pull out most is grass, which makes relentless incursions into the garden from the yard. Clumps of grass go into a bucket, to be carried around the side of the house and dumped into potholes that form in our the dirt driveway. The next most common weed I find is clover. Because clover will enrich the soil when it breaks down, it gets tossed into the compost trench or tucked under nearby mulch. My favorite way with weeds, however, is to eat them. Pigweed, or amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), for example, is a great addition to a salad bowl or greens pot. Florida Betony (Stachys floridana) not only gives usable leaves in spring, but now I'm beginning to come across their interesting white tubers while digging in the soil. They look like chubby segmented grubs but are actually a tasty treat with a crunch similar to a water chestnut, just right for slicing up to toss into a stir-fry. Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum) is another wild visitor to the garden that gets taken to the kitchen along with the planned harvests. All parts of this weed are edible, from the mildly spicy seeds to the mustard-like greens to the horseradish-y roots.These are just a few of the edible weeds I've learned about, and through careful identification, incremental testing and use in moderation, weeds have actually become a joyful part of gardening. As one resource on Florida weeds, I often consult eattheweeds.com. Take a look!What We're Eatin' in June: The tomatoes have arrived, hallelujah, brightening up salads and adding their distinctive juiciness to sandwiches. By the end of the month, they'll be plentiful enough for filling a bowl to toss fresh with herbs, lemon juice and pasta for "summer spaghetti," a family favorite. I have had to patrol for tomato hornworms and removed four so far in the past week. We're regularly eating banana peppers now, and there's a steady supply of green onions for all sorts of dishes, such as livening up cole slaw, slipping into an omelette or topping off black beans and rice. My fledgling asparagus patch surprised me with a few edible stalks much later than I expected, though the quantity makes more for an extravagant garnish than a serving. On the wild side, blackberries are ripening along the walking paths, and later in June there will be wild black cherries to press into a spiced punch. Yum!What's Coming Along: Zucchini should be on the plate within the week. Sweet potatoes have started sending runners out, and the first eggplant seedlings I put in are now a couple feet high and blooming well. I've just transplanted four more of them to extend their harvest season. Last month I wrote about looking into tropical "spinach," and I have found and planted a Malabar spinach! It's a beautiful vine that promises to produce enough delicious leaves all summer long to more than cover its cost. I also found a pack of seeds for New Zealand "spinach," another hot weather green that I'm looking forward to testing out. Cucumber seeds have sprouted, and marigolds that I started from seed have now been transplanted in beneficial spots here and there throughout the rows.What to Plant This Month: June in North Florida offers a great mixture of eating and planting for the gardener. According to the UF/IFAS Chart available at gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu, I'm on track with planting tropical spinaches now. It also lists edible ginger, which is on my to-do list for sure. Plus, it's not too late to plant long squashes, field peas and okra. In addition to the UF source, I regularly consult a chart called "Florida: Vegetable Planting Calendar" put out by Urban Farmer at ufseeds.com. Their Zone 8 chart allows for planting beans and, surprisingly, Brussels sprouts, as well as corn, cucumbers, onions, squash and tomatoes. So for me, I'm going to attempt some Brussels sprouts and put in some second plantings of onions, cucumbers and tomatoes to hopefully be harvesting these foods for as long as possible.What's Tempting Me: While I was on the hunt for tropical spinach, I came across a packet of mung bean seeds for sprouting in a jar on the kitchen counter. Sadly, we've had to give up on houseplants, even hanging ones, due to having a cat who so loves to chomp plants that he will leap rather spectacularly to any height for a nip. No windowsill herbs for me! Bean sprouts, I just realized, would be safely contained within their jar, so I'm going to give that a try. The first batch is having its first soak as I write.Next month, I'll let you know how that works out. In the meantime, I wish you all the best with your gardening endeavors, whether with one container, a small patch or a larger plot. When the weeds appear, which they will, think on this: "Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." – A.A. Milne