Bermuda Wars Resume

Ah yes, ’tis the season of Bermuda…not that lovely Atlantic archipelago but the cursed and unwelcome grass that invades the homes of my vegetables.  All gardeners love to see things grow in the summer with the exception of certain weeds.  My weeds are, in order of despicability, Bermuda, Khaki Burr, Nutgrass, Bindweed and another kind of grass that has burrs that stick to any article of clothing that come too close.  Bermuda, however, remains the chief offender.   I like the way Carol Ann Sayle of Boggy Creek Farm put it.  When it looked like our Texas dry spell had killed the weeds…

The Bermuda grass had cheated of course, never meaning to die at all. During the months with no rain, it lay sullenly restricted, while its roots searched beneath the soil for elusive moisture. It was intent on keeping us on edge, and when the rain came, it sneeringly erupted and spread its runners vigorously, and flung its seeds where runners found it hard to go.

In Charamon Garden the Bermuda’s runners don’t find much of anywhere “hard to go.”  Well, gotta go, time for Bermuda patrol.  In the meantime, eat your veggies, Nonnie and Pop said so!

An Admirable Enemy

Weeds are a part of gardening that cannot be avoided (unless you garden hydroponically).  In the Charamon Garden we deal with several tenacious weeds.  Some have extremely deep roots and are very drought resistant…and…if you don’t pull out the majority of the root when weeding…it just comes back again.  A good example of this one is the Bindweed.  Get it all and get it before it seeds or it will be your constant companion.

Today I have been dealing with two very successful interlopers: Spurge and Nutgrass (aka Nutsedge).  Spurge is successful because it grows thickly and quickly, produces thousands of seeds (terrible little stickers) and has a long taproot.  Nutgrass is successful because of the way it reproduces.  At the base of the plant a “nut” or tuber develops.  That tuber immediately sends out side rhizomes to form another plant several inches away.  It develops a nut and continues the process (see photos).  The rhizomes become so thin that when you pull the plant out, it easily breaks leaving its “children” to develop independently.  And so the circle of life continues.  If you leave it alone you will soon have a “lawn” of nutgrass in your garden.  You have to admire this particular enemy…a worthy adversary.

The Fallacy of Fallow

Here in West Texas, we have some weeds that can be real enemies of the (es)state. In the Charamon Garden they are, in order of nuisance, Bermuda grass (great for lawns, terrible for gardens), Nut sedge, Bindweed, and a recent introduction I don’t know the name of…but it is a terrible little sticker. Some of these weeds have taken advantage of our absence and subsequent neglect in beds that were allowed to “lie fallow”…some of them for two years.

Finding and Preparing Your Space

The first step is to clear the soil of weeds. If it is covered with Bermuda grass, you have some work to do. You must kill the grass either by covering it with black plastic for several months in the summer or use a (shudder) herbicide (more on this elsewhere). In West Texas, your soil, like mine, will be alkaline. It will probably be some variation on clay. Actually, it may resemble some substance in the process of becoming rock. While alkaline soils present some problems, they are fairly easy to overcome with time and patience.

The next step is to level the soil as much as possible. If it is already fairly level, that’s great. If you live on a hillside or slope, you might want to consider terracing. Many very nice gardens have been planted on hillsides. Level soil is just easier to work and water.

Now it’s time to lay out your beds. You’ve heard of raised beds? This is what we’re going to achieve. The beds should be no wider than four feet but can be as long as you like. Four feet is about all you can reach across to work your beds without stepping in them. It is a very good idea to edge your beds with bricks, blocks, boards, metal edging or something else. You need these edges to enable you to keep the beds well-defined and the paths clean. They will also help to hold the mulch in place (more about mulch later). Plan for paths to give you access to both sides and the ends. These paths need to be wide enough to drive your lawnmower down them. Some people use wood chips or some other substance on their paths. This has not worked well for me because you still get some weeds and grass coming up through it. I don’t mind weeding the beds, but it seems a waste of time to weed the paths. It might work better if one put down some kind of weed block first. I have found that it is much simpler just to mow the paths.

Once you have laid out your beds, you may loosen the soil in them with a digging fork. This will be one of the few times you need to do this because we will be strongly suggesting a method where you don’t disturb the soil more than absolutely necessary. The very act of loosening the soil and applying compost will raise your beds a couple of inches above the level of your paths. The addition of mulch will also add to the height of your beds. You want this height for drainage and aeration purposes. You should never set foot again in these beds unless absolutely necessary. Your goal is to never pack the soil. If you have soil like mine, it will do that by itself.

Now is the time to begin a process which will continue for your life or the life of your garden whichever ends first. You will begin to add nutrients to your soil in the way of compost, mulch and minerals. We will discuss this fully in the chapter on working the soil. But now is the time to add the first layer of compost followed by the mulch you stockpiled before you began. Do not be concerned about mixing this with the soil. This will happen naturally as microbes and worms do their work. As the soil life increases your compost and mulch will disappear and need regular replacement. So, what can you do now? Let’s think about that. Oh, I know! Let’s make some compost!

Next time, “A Rotten Idea”…in the meantime, eat your veggies! Nonnie and Pop said so.

The Bindweed Dilemma

It is time to take down the tomato cages. I started the process today. They have done their duty and now this edible nightshade must make room for hairy vetch. This cover crop will grow all winter and fix nitrogen for the next crop of heirloom tomatoes.

My tomatoes were infested this year with purple bindweed (Ipomoea trichocarpa) a relative, believe it or not, of the morning glory and the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatus). It almost choked the life out of my crop…the result of too much neglect on my part.

The leaves give it away as a sweet potato cousin and its roots offer further proof. Although they don’t develop a true tuber-like root, they tend to be heavy and thick (check out the photo). The plant will come up next year from roots left in the ground. It is also an efficient seed-producer. If you want to get rid of the plant for good (almost impossible) you must get rid of all the seed and dig up their roots and trash them. They are not good candidates for composting because they will survive the composting and simply spread as you spread the humus.

Control is the only answer (as it is with bermuda grass and nutsedge). When you see the pretty little vines creeping up your cage or trellis, you must get on your knees and search for the source and nip it in the bud. But, mind you, it is persistent (in common with all my most troublesome weeds).

Here’s a sad truth known by most gardeners. Everyone is eager to consume your veggies but not to help you grow them. Even though I gave some very unsubtle hints, no one (except my extremely busy son) had the ability/desire/inclination/time. Ah well, we live and learn.