De las 7 docentes denunciadas, 2 ya fueron imputadas por la justicia. Los abogados de las madres intentan acusarlas de ‘abuso sexual agravado’.

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Some rain-free opportunities are coming up to weed your garden!

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1. Get a soil test for each area you want to plant are have planted. Some weed species are pioneers of degraded landscapes where the soil is worn-out or nearly destroyed. If you want to have a weed free lawn, test that area of the soil to see if your soil is healthy for the grass seed you want to plant. To help best grow flowers and/or vegetables, get the soil tested separately in those bed areas. You want your soil to be best it can be for the plants you want. (How often should a soil be tested? As a rule, test sandy-textured soils every 2 to 3 years and clay soils every 3 to 4 years. However, if  problems occur during the growing season, send in a soil sample for analysis. ) (see here)

2. Follow directions from the soil test to get the healthiest lawn and garden bed you can. The soil test instructions, if you get them done by your local extension or Master Gardener office, will help explain what you have to do for optimum soil conditions for the plants you are planting.

3. Amend your soil with the good compost you have created and with grass clippings.

4. Choose the right plant for the right spot. Don’t plant seeds for a sunny location if you have shade. That goes for the seed you use in your lawn, too. You might get the grass or plants you want but they will struggle and be sickly allowing weeds to take over.

5. Use mulch to keep weeds down and to kill some of the weeds. But don’t pile it too high so that it will kill the roots of plants that you want.

6. Stay on top of the weeds by hand pulling them when they are small and before they set seed.

7. Get a good hoe to help get rid of weeds.There is no best tool for the job, but there are some different types of hoes you can try. (see here) There is the familiar flat-bladed hoe that works effectively on the rows between vegetable crops.   There is the Warren Hoe which has a pointed blade and works well for small weeds and weeding between rows. (see here)There is the Scuffle, Stirrup or Dutch Hoe that cuts weeds at the surface in a push/pull motion. A great gardener I know loves this hoe. (see here)

8. To get rid of single clumps of weeds, pour boiling water on the plant.It might need more than one application.

9, There is a vinegar concoction you can make to get rid of weeds, but do not use too much and be careful not to get it on your beloved plants because salt and acid can damage your good plants and too much salt and vinegar is not good for the soil. (see here)

10. Learn to be more tolerant of your weeds. Let more weeds into your life, lawn and gardens. Remember you can eat some and the animals can eat some and some weeds will encourage beneficial insects in your garden to help the plants you want.

To paraphrase the serendipity prayer for your lawn and garden,

Mother Nature, grant me the strength to pull the weeds I can

The serenity to accept the weeds I cannot pull,

And Peace of Mind to enjoy my lawn and garden.

aka “Maypop” by rittyrats

Besides books and videos, there are some interesting sites on using edible weeds.

Remember that some weeds were brought here by people who wanted the plants in their gardens for food, medicine or dyes. Other plants grow as weeds in some parts of the country or another country and are so pretty some clever person realized those weeds could be sold to others as flowers. An example of a weed that this GardenLady wants in her yard is a plant called  or hardy passion vine that grows as a weed in the Midwest but is considered a pretty flower that few people have on the East Coast. Also, Passion vine has a seed pod that is edible, a treat really.This particular Passion Vine will grow in zones 6 till Zone 9 or 10, but it can become a weed in warmer zones.

An interesting website is Mother Nature Network which includes information on weeds you can eat. There is a list of articles on edible weeds as well as edible really invasive weeds.

For an alphabetized list of edible plants with good photos to look at check this out.

Food Under Foot is a blog that gives interesting recipes for using what we may call weeds.  This site does as well.

One Stop Vacation Spot!

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Students To Rebuild Garden After Vandalism

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Ground-Ivy by klm185

TheGardenLady has been writing about weeds in one’s gardens and lawns; but the weeds I have selected to write about are all edible. Some of these weeds are also medicinal and some are used as dyes for fabric or yarn. Many of the weeds were brought to North America by early settlers because they felt these were important plants that they wanted in their gardens.

Unfortunately these plants felt so happy here and have so few natural predators that they not only grew outside the garden but they have become invasive plants, pushing out the native plants. “An invasive plant has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range.” And some of our North American native plants have become invasive weeds in other countries. (When I visited Japan, I was told that goldenrod, Native to North America, has become an invasive weed in Japan.)

One plant that was brought to North America for medicinal and salad usage but mostly to flavor ale was known as ground ivy or creeping Charlie or ground over the gill, Glechoma hederacea. This plant which has attractive leaves and a pretty little purple flower and would make a lovely ground cover but it has become invasive in yards and lawns where it does not let grass grow. Ground ivy is very difficult to get rid of because it spreads in numerous ways, by seeds and by the vining stems which root at their nodes.

If you want to eradicate this weed, of course the safest method is to pull it. But Ground Ivy really takes over, so most people cannot get it all by pulling. Because this GardenLady is more concerned about toxic chemicals than about weeds- fortunately I am not a farmer who has to make a living from my garden- I let Ground Ivy live. I admit defeat. I just pull it out of the garden beds and look the other way when it is in my lawn- in spring the purple flowers look attractive. I want children and animals to be able to walk barefoot safely on my lawn and I don’t want herbicides going into my stream or ground water or killing beneficial insects or birds.

But if you are less tolerant than I, apparently borax works in killing Ground Ivy. Borax would be the safest chemical alternative For directions on how to use borax go to this site.

There are broadleaf herbicides that are supposed to work if you apply them at the proper time of the year. But this is such a tenacious weed that to be effective the chemical works best at certain temperatures and with a certain amount of moisture. Read directions carefully before applying.

Again, remember that this is in the edible weed category. On line are recipes for Ground ivy that you might want to try, such as ground ivy tempura (see here) or soups (see here).

I imagine that the real reason early settlers valued ground ivy was mostly for its taste in ale or beer before hops became the dominant flavoring. “Alehoof, Cat’s Foot, Gill over the Ground, Ground Ivy,Tunhoof (Glechoma hederacea, formerly Nepeta hederacea). Leaves and stems. Alehoof is a small creeping mint with a bitter principal. Used to flavor, clarify, and improve the keeping quality of ale. Use dry as you would use hops” (see here). I have never tried this recipe that uses ground ivy.

If you don’t want to just harvest the wild edible weeds from your garden that TheGardenLady has been writing about, they are still available as seeds for you to plant in your herb or vegetable gardens.  RICHTERS HERBS in Canada sells most of these edible herbs that we label as weeds. Here is what they say about Ground Ivy if you want to plant it in your garden. (see here)

Cacti at Princess of Wales Concervatory by Suviko

Conservatories have long had a bad rap in the gardening world. Caught somewhere between a greenhouse and an extension, they have a reputation for being the refuge of the passive gardeners who like the idea of getting up close to nature but aren’t so keen to get personal.

What many people may not realise, however, is that conservatories can offer innumerable benefits to green fingered gardeners who are struggling to cope with the erratic behaviour of UK weather. Not only do they allow us to get some outdoor time without running the risk of being caught in a torrential downpour, they also allow us to grow plants which might not have survived being planted outside, but which aren’t suitable for a greenhouse. If you’re looking for conservatories Lancashire is home to several great providers, including the Lytham Window Company.

The Benefits of Growing in a Conservatory

Modern conservatories are able to better regulate their temperatures, remaining consistently pleasant all year round. High end conservatories also boast a wide variety of other features, such as solar control polycarbonate (often used to make sunglasses), good ventilation and high performance glazing for outstanding heat retention. This makes them the perfect place to perfect your plants, as you will find that you are more able to maintain optimal conditions for growing.

Suitable Plants for Conservatories

A conservatory, just like any other enclosed space, can only maintain one environment at a time. This means that when you choose which plants you’d like to grow in your conservatory, you should take care to select from the same group. It would be nigh on impossible to nurture succulents in the same conditions as hardy citrus; the former requiring a middle heating range, the former requiring a cooler environment. However the types of plants which you can grow in a conservatory are numerous and varied, so if you want some variety you will most likely be able to find a good selection of complimentary plant types.

Caring for Your Conservatory Plants

Because a conservatory is essentially an indoor space, your plants will need a bit of extra care that outdoor plants may not require. These care options include:

• Water Misting
• Feeding
• Controlling Light and Shade
• Controlling Temperature and Humidity

Providing you are able to keep an eye on these elements, there’s no reason why your conservatory plants shouldn’t thrive and provide you with the ultimate outdoor experience – indoors.

Garlic Mustard by archangelm

Another weed that plagues my garden and yard is yet another of the weeds that were introduced in North America. This one was introduced in the 1860s as a culinary herb and for medicinal purposes. However, once outside of Europe it became an invasive species. This weed has a number of common names, but the most common name where I live is garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata. Garlic mustard, in the mustard family, also became an invasive weed in Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. In Europe as many as 69 species of insects including the larve of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth)species feast on garlic mustard, but in other areas of the world garlic mustard has no insect predator. So Garlic mustard, an edible plant for some, has become a noxious weed.

It is a biennial- which means that it takes two years to flower and set seed. Because the first year the leaf pattern is so pretty, when TheGardenLady first saw the plant she let it grow. Unfortunately it looks unattractive when it sends up the tiny flowers. And its leaves smell like garlic and the taproot smells like horseradish.

Garlic mustard has become an invasive plant in areas where it is not a native. Invasive plants threaten local ecosystems which means that they take over and do not allow most native plants to grow. Invasive plants take over where they have few or no natural enemies and out-compete native plants by monopolizing space, soil nutrients, moisture and sunlight and sends out a toxic chemical from its roots that does not allow other plants to grow near it. The toxic chemical is called an allelochemical. Animals like deer eat the plant and spread the seed.

In a small garden one can easily pull the plant out. Try to recognize the pretty whorl of leaves in the first year, so you can pull the plant out when it is young. If you have too many to pull, call your neighbors and friends over for a pulling party. Make your favorite iced drink and tea sandwiches and offer a small prize for the person who collects the most plants – but the garlic mustard plants have to be pulled up with their roots. (see here)

Or if you prefer this weed to eat- you know this is a variation of the Home and Garden TV Show of Love it or Pull it- you can invite your friends for a sampling of Garlic mustard recipes that you have concocted from all the plants you pulled. But first you must tell your friends how much you value their friendship and show this by telling them the nutritious value of garlic mustard which is reputed to be good for your weight, heart, lowering of cholesterol, may help prevent cancer, as well as many other health benefits Then check out some of
the numerous recipes available online like this or this or Eat it to beat it or this.

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) talks about gardens on rooftops and greenhouses in city centers.

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