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Vegetable Gardening

so mad i could just spit!

14 years ago

Splurged on a bale of straw to mulch my garden last week. Got one row all tucked in and was admiring my handiwork today when i noticed something green!!

Yep, wretched straw is full of nasty little seeds sprouting merrily away in the soft drizzle today. i thought hay was the seedy one. Good grief.

Maybe i can haul the rest of the bale over to the neighbors and have her hens scratch it all out for me. Gonna have to weed that row that's already muched tho'. Seems like there are lots of seeds. Grrr.

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Comments (7)

iam3killerbs
14 years ago
My sympathy. I've had weedy straw too. :-(

And the rain around here has revealed that the beautiful black compost from town pile is heavy with grass seed.

On the bright side, ...

If bluegrass is growing so enthusiastically the compost has got to be good stuff, right?
anney
14 years ago
mauirose

You could also run a paintbrush dipped in full-strength household vinegar over them (a natural herbicide), avoiding your other plants. It should work quite well to kill small weed seedlings, though if the weeds are allowed to mature, you'd have to use a much stronger vinegar solution not available everywhere.

And look on the bright side. With all this rain, those seeds will sprout right away and you won't be surprised later!
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I Could Just Spit!
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Comments (7)
When my grandfather passed away, about 5 years ago, we found his stash of seeds, there was all kinds. I opened a package of "1983 sunflowers from back yard" seeds, decided to see if they would grow, I planted 5, to my suprise, one grew, and is in my garden this year in a tractor tire... There is also a old coffee can of Texas beans, that my mom remembers from her childhood, I am going to see if I can't get them to grow next year... So do try it!!!
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Mad enough to spit!!!
Q
Comments (3)
Edward, I know how you feel. I did that last year to Darla Anita, Techny Peach Lace and King George....I forget how many plants I butchered accidenly trying to give fans to people who wanted some. I think with our cold wet springs here in NS that the fans are brittle for awhile so now I'm letting stuff really clump....hope you have a great summer//cheers, lloyd
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So mad I could $^%*^$$#$
Q
Comments (10)
Bill: Keep in mind, though Spinosad MAY be more effective on the bigger caterpillars, it's also a lot more broad spectrum of a pesticide. So, you end up killing OTHER good guys also, not only bees. This manner of pest control can do more harm than if you didn't do anything at all. On the other hand, I use BT all year round, even as a preventative since the only pests it targets is caterpillars. From day 1 that I set out my tomatoes and peppers(AND my brassicas( they get a drenching every 2-3 weeks. Not surprising, I've had very good success with it. I think the only reason my Naga got it last year was because it was in my FRONT driveway and I forgot a treatment or something. I ,myself, am in the midst of doing what Mark has accomplished -- Integrated Pest Management. Google it. BTW, chemicals aren't necessary. The above mentioned REALLY do WORK Good luck. Kevin
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OT: I'm so angry, I could spit!
Q
Comments (34)
I've had a couple issues there myself. I guess there are some issues with how they came across because I did spend some time crying about it off and on. I thought, kind of like Lisa, that I was being too sensitive. Now, with all the different opinions, it definitely seems they have some problems with how they communicate to their members. I still think their hearts are in the right place, but they should work with how they communicate what they need to, or basically, they need to work on how they come across to others. Cody used the word "reprimand" which is very much how they come off. Anyways, Lisa, I'm glad you've successfully completed so many "trades" there as they call them. I've been trading there for over a year and haven't done near that many! There are some great members there as you get to know the individuals. I'm glad I blew off the issues there to be able to get to know some of the great gardeners/people in the group. Blessings, Angela
...See More
macky77
14 years ago
Are you sure they're weeds? Combines aren't 100% efficient at getting every single grain off the stalk (straw is the leftover stubble of grains like wheat, barley, flax, etc. as opposed to hay which is dried grasses and/or legumes) and sometimes you can get bits of grain growing from the straw when it gets wet. The good news is that grains are annuals and not invasive unless they go to seed (canola... argh!), so if you just nip them off, the plant will die and all is well. :)
lsst
14 years ago
I have the same problem! Thousands of wheat seeds are sprouting everywhere!
Every time I am in the garden, I pull some up but I am losing the battle. LOL
mauirose
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, it looks like wheat. What a fast grower!

It's not that it will be so hard to slip my scythe weeder under the straw and take out those little wheat sprouts, it's really just the insult of it all. i mulched because the horse manure i amended with is surely full of seeds and i didn't want to weed!

Good tip on the vinegar, tho' and always good to know i'm not alone ; )
cassieinmass
14 years ago
LOL!!!! Oh god, my heart goes out for you!!!!! Weed, weed, weed...What a problem this year!!!!! What about pulling up all the straw and gettign rid of it before even more seeds germinate? -cass
lantanascape
14 years ago
Straw seems like such a crapshoot. I got some weedy stuff year before last. The seed didn't sprout near as much once it was a year old. The stuff I just bought looks pretty clean so I have my fingers crossed, but it's just a chance you take with straw...

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