Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Cover crops and weeds

As I wrote in my last entry, I planted cover crops on the raised in-place beds. I saw them start to come alive with green. Being my first year planting cover crops, I didn't know what to expect.

It turns out one reason they came alive so quickly and brightly was due to chickweed. By its name you can guess it's a weed. It took the help of my extension agent to identify it. By that time, my cover crops were almost the same size and color - green - and leaves that weren't very different from the clover I planted.

Now it take considerable time and delicacy to root out the viney weed that intruded in my garden uninvited.

Note for next fall, till then cover with plastic for a few weeks before planting cover crop.