Bindweed is like Kudzu So, all the sewing had its opportunity cost (not in a bad way – that’s just the way of it); that, and the rains and cold weather of May made it impossible to either mow the lawn or get out and plant. I did have a tiny window and put in mesclun and Hannah ad I did get the peas in around St. Patrick’s Day. But the garden was given over to the weeds.
Creeping Charlie
We have our share of Ground Ivy – known colloquially as Creeping Charlie. The best way to get rid of it is to pull it out – carefully – because all the little bits regenerate, like a starfish. So I don’t compost it in my pile – I send it to the municipal pile. We also have asters, milkweed, violets, goldenrod, goosefoot (lamb’s quarters) and BINDWEED. The ground ivy rolls back like a carpet, making it easier to pull up. My theory on eradicating bindweed is to deny it photosynthesis.
In our garden there are four raised beds that we rotate the crops through. My cousin suggested throwing in the towel on this year because it seemed so late and laying fallow for a year by planting clover or alfalfa. Not us – our intrepid selves headed forth with implements of destruction to transform the space into a garden again –
And we did it. And we’ve planted –
and this is what we pulled up –
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Living on the Lip of Insanity 
My neighbors across the street actually bought creeping charlie for their garden (yard). It’s all their fault.
Joe, it’s a mystery – one man’s ground cover is another woman’s scourge. That and the Morning Glories/Moonflowers – My sister LOVES the violets and can’t believe that I dig them up. I’m less sentimental than I used to be – if it’s in the wrong place, it’s a weed unless it will successfully survive transplanting and won’t reseed in the garden (asters, beware!!)
Perhaps it is the 4 years in the seed lab that did it to me. I don’t know. I know one woman’s weed, is another one’s wild flower, but some of the weeds, are really my absolute favorites.
Violets aren’t weeds, ever! It just can’t be…not with their beautiful faces, fabulous color, and the joy they bring me wherever I find them!
I love field bindweed. I know it is a noxious weed, but how is it really any different than wisteria, honeysuckle, clematis, or anyone of those vines that grow and have flowers.
What about clover? My dream would be to replace my yard with it. It is soft and the white flowers have lovely blossoms that are perfect for braiding into chains or making crowns with.
I do agree, Liz – a weed is just a wild flower growing where you don;t want it to be, and I am the first to admit that I love asters and violets and even goldenrod in the flowerbeds. But not in the vegetable garden.
I can not wrap my love around bindwweed. Just can’t. Or creeping Charlie.
But I would love to plant a yard of clover – you know Wendy is slowly filling the lawn at Inverness with cinquefoil?
Each to her own! And back to Walt Whitman and Joni Mitchell and the garden.
I started to appreciate violets when I started eating them.
Haven’t tried bindweed yet.
Anything in the veggie garden better be more edible than the stuff I put there, or it gets tossed.
Gardeners are fierce critters, despite out oitward demeanors and silly hats.
Michael- indeed we are fierce as contrary as that may seem, nurturing seems to be the logical adjective, but there is little room for sentiment.
I did not know to eat the violets (although I am aware of the candied variety so it makes sense). I’ll add that to purslane in “weeds I can eat” dept. Goosefoot is like wild spinach I suppose as well.
Off to find my silly hat.