Common Weeds in the Midvale Community Garden
Bindweed
- It vines up your plants and pulls them down.
- It’s a vigorously growing weed that outcompetes many other plants.
You can help by pulling this weed early and often in your own plot. Expect it to grow back after you pull it; just pull it again and keep it up. Eventually (faster than you think), the roots will be starved. It sounds daunting but it’s really easy if you spend just a minute doing this each time you visit your plot.
(The photo was copied from the UW Extension Learning Store; you can download the full article http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Common-Weed-Seedlings-of-the-North-Central-States-P161.aspx for free; pamphlet number 19-1-15.)
Thistle
From the Wisconsin DNR Web site:
- Leaves: Simple, alternate, lance-shaped, tapering, irregularly lobed, with spiny, toothed margins, stalkless. Green on both sides; smooth early but becoming pubescent with maturity.
- Blooms June-September.
- Seeds are often spread by mowing after flowering has begun.
- Roots: Reproduces clonally by creeping roots that grow laterally in soil, up to 10-12’ per year. Also produces taproots that may grow more than 6’ deep. Readily regenerates from root fragments.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/invasives/fact/canadathistle.html
Dandelion
From Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, UW-Extension Master Gardener site:
Dandelion is a short-lived perennial that will grow just about anywhere, regardless of soil conditions, but rich soil will improve its growth. They withstand frost and freezes and tolerate crowding. Heat and insufficient moisture will cause the leaves to get bitter, but it won’t kill the plant…
…If there are only a few dandelions in an area, mechanical control may be the best option. Use a digging stick or other garden tool that can be inserted into the ground along the dandelion root to pop the dandelion and at least 2-3” of its root out of the ground. Plants will regenerate from root pieces, particularly from the top half of the root, so try to pull as much of the root out of the ground as possible.
Pulling Dandelions: This video will teach you how to physically remove dandelions from the yard without the use of chemicals.
Good Resources:
Midvale Community Garden 