Topic: Weeds - good or bad?

[antipodes]

I saw this today and thought it had some interesting ideas!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/10785686/Weeds-and-wisom-in-the-Middle-Ages.html
I admit that I now let the chickweed run riot until I am ready to dig as it seems to discourage grass and keeps the soil cool underneath.
I also learnt from it the name of an odd weed I have had this year (Red Dead nettle which apparently I should not be ripping up all the time!).

I like the potato story at the end of the article. Maybe that is why my spuds do not always get blight? (As I am not so tidy with the weeds).

[caroline7758]

Interesting article!

[alkanet]

can't beat the Wisom of the Ancents

[goodlife]

Oh yes...what a good read..and it just comes to show that the way I garden all the nasty are getting lost in the jungle or hunted down by predators 
I haven't used insecticides for yeeeears in my plot or in home garden..there is no need...and judging from the amount of birds keep jumping about amongst everything..there must be huge variety of insects for them to feast on 

[BarriedaleNick]

Well that makes me feel a lot better about the state of my plot!

[antipodes]

Well that makes me feel a lot better about the state of my plot!

I liked the notion of mixed crops confusing insects - after all, isn't that what we do with companion plants or sacrificial plants? I noticed that if I put nasturtiums around the broad beans they get less blackfly...  But our medieval ancestors farmed with the same basics we have today - no doubt compost, probably human sewage (gross but hey, natural) and animal manure. And they knew an awful lot about plants! Maybe our rows of the same veg are not always the way to go??? it's a thought at any rate.

"Wisom"  yes i was a bit surprised they hadn't picked up on that too!!!! Sack the proof reader (or send him to the Daily mail Online where the articles seem to be written by a team of Chinese speaking, one-eyed, three-fingered  5 year olds with severe dyslexia, if the spelling and grammar is anything to go by).

[Bill Door]

Well having read the article I am thinking of sowing green manure and sweetcorn seeds (from my own cobs grown last year and saved) all over my potatoes.  I have checked their viability and it is about 80% germination.  So when they grow I will cut off the pollen stems before they develop.  I may try pollination from the main F1 sweet corn I am growing ( must try out this GM stuff :o)))) ).

I will also sow mustard seeds around my cabbage once they are established to see how it goes.  it can't be any worse then in previous years when i have slogged around the allotment hoeing like a dervish.

Anybody any ideas for onions and shallots?

Must say that I rather enjoyed the points made in the article.  Notice that they still dug the ground in Autumn.

Bill

[antipodes]

Anybody any ideas for onions and shallots?

Bill

I don't know if he remembers, but I seem to think that TeeGee experimented a year or two ago with leaving the weeds around his onions, which are always reputed as having to be weed free! I recall that the onions were just as good as without weeds. They do say that onions and carrots are a good mix, maybe alternating rows are a good idea? I must admit I have beet leaf in with my garlic and they seem to rather like each other's company...

[Chrispy]

Well having read the article I am thinking of sowing green manure and sweetcorn seeds (from my own cobs grown last year and saved) all over my potatoes.  I have checked their viability and it is about 80% germination.  So when they grow I will cut off the pollen stems before they develop.  I may try pollination from the main F1 sweet corn I am growing ( must try out this GM stuff :o)))) ).

I will also sow mustard seeds around my cabbage once they are established to see how it goes.  it can't be any worse then in previous years when i have slogged around the allotment hoeing like a dervish.

Anybody any ideas for onions and shallots?

Must say that I rather enjoyed the points made in the article.  Notice that they still dug the ground in Autumn.

Bill

Mustard and cabbage is a bad idea, as both are brassicas and and the mustard grows much too fast.

Trefoil is low growing and fixes nitrogen, makes for a good green manure for under sowing, only tried it once myself with my sweetcorn, but it certainly worked well, so will be using it again this year.

[goodlife]

Anybody any ideas for onions and shallots?

Those don't like much competition and are better left to grow on their own..unless you use very wide spacing. All oniony plants are  crops that I do try to keep weed free...others are left to have some varied 'neighbours'.