Weeds

With shearing season essentially over and a few other things winding down it's time to turn our attention to the weeds.

We aren't certified organic but we don't use chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.  So we have been trying a few different things with some success over the last couple of years.  Of course, nothing has resolved our weed issue.

Ha.  Like that's actually possible.... how about this? Nothing that we've tried so far has brought our weed issue into the realm of reasonable.

Boiling water does a good job on sidewalk cracks.  Salt also works, but a lot is required and I don't want to use it in places that we intend to plant something someday.  So I've stepped the salt use down to very specific applications.

Of course, pulling works... It's a lot of pulling... and some of these weeds have stickers.  Ouch!

I have heard that vinegar works, but haven't tried it yet.

So, when faced with an overwhelming amount of weeds, what does one do?  Take a deep breath and start with the highest priority first.

These guys...

I still don't know what they're called.  I think they're sort of pretty.  They make a bazillion seeds and those pretty seed heads will be letting go soon.  They also have a huge root that is nearly impossible to get out, even with a shovel.

Hubba has done a lot of pulling over the last several days and hired a guy to help us.  I'm planning to take the pulled weeds to the land-fill because I'm certain that our composting process does not get hot enough, for long enough to kill these guys.

We are digging up what we can and then topping the remainder with a generous dose of salt.  I discovered at the end of last summer/fall that this method works really well... we just need to make sure we are diligent.

The other high priority are the Goat Heads in the parking area.

I think, technically, it's called Puncture Vine.  I don't know where the name Goat Head came from.  It's probably considered rude if you happen to be a goat.

Regardless, they are not friendly to puppy paws, wheelchair tires or hands trying to pull them out of the hard ground.

So I took a tip from a former neighbor and am attempting to smother/sweat them out this summer.

But I'm gonna need a few more tarps.  :-/

We plan to turn this (huge) parking area into something that looks less like a cul-de-sac and more like a garden you want to spend time in... this summer's major project.

One Small Change: Weed and Time Management

My One Small Change for June was to manage our weeds with boiling water. 

Boiling Water:

It works pretty well for small areas such as sidewalk cracks.  I have had to re-apply in some cases since this method really requires a generous amount of boiling water to ensure the plants are well-cooked.

So I have been boiling a couple pots while I wash the dishes or make dinner.  Which means this process is slow going, but it does work.  Check out this after photo.

Salt:

Since the boiling water works better in smaller areas, I have started using salt in the parking and driveway areas.  I don't have plans to plant these areas in the future and I don't want to weed them next year.  So I'm not worried about having salty soil in the parking and driveway areas.

This method requires a generous amount of salt.  So I shopped around and was able to find 50 pound bags for about $6 each at a local feed store.

After I got tired of sprinkling salt by the cupful, I used our seed spreader.  While the seed spreader layed the salt down evenly, it wasn't enough to greatly affect the plant growth.  You can see that some areas have dead weeds though.  Perhaps if I went over it a few times??

Dig, Pull and Chop:

In many cases, the weeds are too close to plants we want to keep, so we have to do some good old-fashioned pulling.

Someone told me this is called milk weed, but I always thought milk weed was something else. 

Regardless, it's nasty and we have a lot of them. They have a bazillion seeds and are impossible to pull out of the ground. There was one in one of the corrals and the alpacas would not eat it.

My neighbor told me that goats won't eat them either. So I've started to cut the seed heads off and put them in trash bags. Then digging the plant out with a shovel and composting it.

For July - Weeds:

I plan to continue with our weed elimination program.  It's working, but we have a long way to go with the weeds on our property.

For July - Time Management:

While time management won't directly reduce my impact on our environment.  Starting Alpacamundo, moving to our farm in Colorado and working as an IT Consultant all have their place in enabling our goal for a simpler, more peaceful and eco-friendly life.

The problem is all of these things require a lot of my time and energy and the time between them is blurred.  Working from home and commuting out of state are still relatively new ideas for me.  Which means when I work from home, I want to spend time on farm stuff during the day then I stay up late to work on my clients stuff at night.  When I'm traveling, it's the opposite.

Now bats in the ceiling and escaping alpacas need to be addressed when they occur.  But as a general rule I need to be more structured with my time.

So for July, I will block out a weekly schedule for all of my activities.  I will also carry my idea notebook so I can capture ideas and tasks as they come to mind then work on them during the appropriate blocked time.  I feel if I am able to focus my attention better, I should be able to get it all done more effectively.  Then the more effective I am at getting it done, the more quickly we will reach our goals.