PRACTICAL SELF SUFFICIENCY THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING

PRACTICAL SELF SUFFICIENCY

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

TWITTER

Each month Dick or James Strawbridge will be answering one of your questions about self sufficiency or living a sustainable lifestyle. Anything that causes you confusion, interest or sheer curiosity?!

Simply email admin@newhousefarm.tv

This month Dave from Bristol asked: ‘What makes a weed, a weed?’

Q: What is a Weed?

A: James Strawbridge

In my opinion on a smallholding a weed is a plant that at a certain time, in a certain place, we just don’t want to be growing. J.M. Torrell more eloquently described weeds as: “A plant that interferes with management objectives for a given area of land at a given point in time.” In fact, weeds often face absolute annihilation and a severe reaction if they start growing in the wrong spot. However, there are unusual examples such as blackberries that in late summer/autumn cease to be criticised as ‘brambles’ and instead are praised as a rich source of fruit and treasured as a forager’s delight. Another confusing example are nettles that grow almost anywhere and for most of the time are disliked because of their invasive nature and stinging leaves. Yet even nettles have a positive use on a smallholding as an activator for compost heaps (see last month’s article).

I think that most of us agree weeds are a nuisance. They are normally unsightly and can also use up limited nutrients from soil or crowd out light from our vegetables. In addition, their thorny and/or prickly appearance often mirrors their aggressive reproduction. If vegetables grew as quickly as weeds there would surely be no food shortages.

Another more coherent definition of a weed is proposed by some ‘permaculturists’. The gardening method of Permaculture holds that weeds are in fact ‘volunteers’ that reduce soil erosion, balance soil pH and provide a useful role in crop rotation. I find this interesting because when you dig over a patch of earth it is amazing how quickly that space will become the home of some weed or another and often those weeds are either edible or have medicinal properties. In order to gain a greater understanding of what weeds are and how they fit into life on a working smallholding I am going to look at some of the usual suspects.

USUAL SUSPECTS

DANDELION - (above second to left) Dandelions grow in between cracks in pavements, in freshly dug vegetable beds and even in lawns. They are regarded as weeds when in fact they are edible. Here at Newhouse Farm I often use the younger leaves in salads and Holly sometimes makes medicinal goodies from their roots. I tried dandelion coffee recently and was pleasantly surprised! (The roots are roasted and then ground). Another positive to them is that their roots break up soil in overly cultivated areas, helping subsequent vegetable crops gain a deeper root systems. Despite these useful attributes many people still want to call them a weed and weed them. I think that one of the best tools for this job is a small fork or a more specialised narrow fork that enables you to dig out the root deep down.

BINDWEED - I believe that this is an out-and-out bad boy. Bindweed is a curse in the garden as it can strangle other crops. I have found that the only answer is to keep digging it out and after it has dried out, burn it. This is a weed that seems to do nothing useful.

PLANTAIN - (above second to right) Broad leaved plantain will ruin a smart looking lawn but it too has some great useful qualities. If you are suffering from a nettle sting or some other irritation then simple pick a handful of the leaves and rub them between the palms of your hands until they start to disintegrate. Continue rolling and rubbing the leaves until eventually a bright green juice seeps into the groves in your hands. This liquid is amazing at reducing stinging pain if you apply it liberally to the affected area and far surpasses dock leaves for quick relief. I also have lovely memories of playing games with the feathered bud-heads when I was younger but that’s besides the point...

RAGWORT - This unpleasant plant is always going to be a pure weed in my book. It is invasive and can be very harmful, even lethal, to livestock if they eat it. Make sure that your smallholding is free from its bright yellow flowers if you have any animals. When digging it up make sure you wear gloves as contact with it can give you a nasty rash.

NETTLES - (above left) Affectionately called stinging nettles these plants are another one that blur the definition of a weed. You can eat young, tender leaves in salads and the leaves also make a good cup of tea and a surprisingly tasty soup. However, despite their anti-oxidant, spinach-tasting, healthy status I still regard them as a weed because they end up growing where you don’t want them. I find that the best way to clear nettles is with a scythe and collect them with a pitch fork. They are then extremely useful as an activator added to our compost heaps. (above right)

DOCK LEAF - Nettles and docks seem to grow together in perfect harmony. The docks cure stings sustained from the nettles and this double-act seems to make them acceptable to us. Nonetheless I always try to weed docks before they go to seed - after all, ‘one years seeding is seven years weeding’... The other good thin about digging them up is that pigs absolutely love eating their leaves and roots so your livestock gets to enjoy more fresh greens for free.

GRASS - Perhaps the many types of grass avoid being classed as weeds because of how successful they have been. Grass covers huge areas of land and is the food of countless breeds of livestock as well as the home of many fun sports and activities from football to croquet! Yet, as soon as grass sprouts up in a vegetable bed or under an ornamental borderline we start to see it as a weed and will immeadiately try to dig it out. I have found that in order to stop grass spreading in your productive areas mulching is needed. I often mulch around vegetables with cut-out layers of cardboard or by laying straw. Mulching not only deals with the problems of grass and other weeds growing in undesirable places, it also keeps more moisture in the soil. Other forms of mulch include old bits of carpet, black plastic and lately I have seen a lot of products in garden centres made out of corn or other plant fibres that serve as biodegradable mulch. I use this black fabric for mulching around our fruit trees and then cover the top with plenty of wood chip that has been shredded. Another effective way to build a barrier to grass is a decent sharp edge or drop into your vegetable beds that works like a trench to make weeding easier and at the same time makes it harder for the grass roots to spread.