Weeds, weeds and more weeds.  Sometimes it seems like all we ever do is pull weeds!

Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps nature is telling us something? 

In our seed saving garden one of the main weeds we seem to pull is sorrel and it's pesky too.  Any little piece of root will grow a whole new plant.  Yet the question that should be asked is why?  Why is it there in the first place?  

Observing weeds in the veggie patch is an excellent indicator of soil health and conditions.  It gives us great insight into things like nutrient deficiencies, acidity, drainage issues, and soil structure problems. Identifying common weeds and their preferred growing conditions can firstly help to pinpoint any problematic soil issues, and secondly direct soil management strategies in the correct areas. 

Here's a breakdown of what different weeds tell us about our soil:

SOIL ACIDITY:

  • Weeds that thrive in acidic soil: plantain, sorrel, dandelion, moss, nettles, hawkweed, daisy, mullein, oxalis, knotweed, and horsetail.
    Action:  Add lime / dolomite for crops such as brassicas that prefer more alkaline conditions. Plant acid loving plants such as strawberries.
     
  • Weeds that prefer alkaline soil: Queen Anne's lace, chickweed, spotted spurge, chicory, and garlic mustard. 
    Action:   Dig in well-rotted organic matter such as compost.  Compost helps to lower the pH and buffers the soil against future swings in pH and also improves nutrient content.

SOIL DRAINAGE:

  • Weeds that indicate poor drainage/waterlogged conditions:  yellow nutsedge, goosegrass, goldenrod, moss, speedwell, ground ivy, chickweed, sedge, nutgrass, horsetail and dock. 
    Action:  Try digging in plenty of organic matter to gradually open up the soil and build structure. If the soil remains wet well beyond the start of the growing season it will take longer to warm up.  Raised beds may also help to improve drainage issues.

  • Weeds that indicate compacted soils:  dandelion, bindweed, chicory, goosegrass, crabgrass, chickweed, flatweed, oniongrass, knotweed, spurge, and plantain 
    Action:  Apply plenty of organic matter to keep the soil covered. Planting end-of-season green manure crops will send out roots deep into the soil to help break it up in time for next spring.

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES:

  • Weeds that indicate a lack of nitrogen and other nutrients:  clover, bracken, bent grass, onion grass, dandelion (low in potassium & phosphorus)
    Action:  Apply an all round fertiliser with a high nitrogen content.  Other addtions could be seaweed, manure, seed meal etc.

  • Weeds that show a highly fertile soil:  stinging nettle, capeweed, thistles, chickweek, purslane, corkscrew
    Action:  You'll probably end up with a lot of weeds with high levels of growth.  You'll need to continually pull weeds to prevent them from drawing nutrients from the soil at the expense of the vegetables.
     

GARDEN TIP:
Empty all of your pulled weeds into a bucket and cover with a lid.  Allow to rot for a number of weeks and then pour the composted liquid around your vegetables.