Do we have a section about weeds?

[Ruderunner]

Waiting for someone to catch the reference.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

A local gentleman declared that weeds decorate the dirt.

 

[big rockpile]

Been growing weed and it gets the best.

big rockpile

 

[redback]

I have started letting the weeds grow if they aren't doing any harm. They do block out the light and pretty well destroy root crops unless you weed them in the early stages.
The saying that they rob your plants of water and fertility is only true if they completely dominate, otherwise they conserve moisture by sun screening the soil and soil science now proves that their presence adds variety and therefore fertility via encouraging more microbes, worms etc. into your soil..

 

[roadrunner]

Sam Thayer knows his weeds

 

[ChrisH]

My daughter has an app on her phone that identifies different plants and trees. I live in a wooded area and every year something new pops up in the yard, most likely from seeds that either blow around or from bird droppings. If something is growing that's harmful to the dog, I get rid of it. Other stuff I just let grow until I have to cut the grass. There's only one area of the backyard where I can put my garden and I grow everything in containers, so I put tarps down first so weeds don't grow around my plants.

 

[Ruderunner]

I have started letting the weeds grow if they aren't doing any harm. They do block out the light and pretty well destroy root crops unless you weed them in the early stages.
The saying that they rob your plants of water and fertility is only true if they completely dominate, otherwise they conserve moisture by sun screening the soil and soil science now proves that their presence adds variety and therefore fertility via encouraging more microbes, worms etc. into your soil..

This is what got me to thinking about weed benefits. I was pulling out chickweed and noticed that it was shading the soil and keeping it moist. Almost like a living mulch.

And as noted, it doesn't seem to have much effect on established plants vs choking out seedlings. It does get tangled in cabbage though.

Crabgrass is another thing. It has deep roots and can bring nutrients to the surface. Chop and drop.

 

[roadrunner]

Chickweed is also very nutritious

The Glories of Chickweed: Uses, Cultivation, Recipes, and More - Wild Abundance

Chickweed is a delicious edible weed. Learn about where it's from, how to grow it, why it's good for you, plus two recipes for using this tasty green.

www.wildabundance.net

Excerpt:

Chickweed Nutrition​

Chickweed’s pretty packed with nutrients, especially for such a diminutive plant. It contains vitamins A, D, B complex, C, rutin (a bioflavinoid), calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, sodium, copper, iron and silica. In comparison with spinach, chickweed holds up extremely well. It’s got just as much iron, along with other nutrients. So, when you’re trying to eat you’re daily dose of nutrient-dense leaves, consider this weedy wonder along with the better-known greens.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

It's a good indicator also, it will grow almost anywhere, but it will vary from tiny and weedy to giant and lush depending what it is growing in. if it is not doing well you probably need a bit more nitrogen.

 

[redback]

I was pulling out chickweed and noticed that it was shading the soil and keeping it moist. Almost like a living mulch.

Good to see that. I agree.
I also found ladybirds walking on their side halfway up the fescue grasses. Doing that unexpected circus trick they were out of the sun, off the ground (where bigger predators lurked) and in a position to ambush prey halfway up the plant where the prey was feasting.
Just about everything in that bed of grasses and ladybirds was free of pests - at least early in the season when it counts. Later in the season the older leaves became holed. Such recycling of the old leaves is not a problem as I can throw them into the chooks.
I have cleaned up my Autumn beds ready for planting. I'm definitely going to try polyculture beds where the main crop is interspersed with herbs and flowers - and the harmless grasses are left to grow (until they become a problem).