Weeds, the kind you don't want in your garden

I really like to garden in the spring time.  It is similar to being a teacher and starting with a new class in September.  New plants, limited weeds, all looking spanking brand new.  When I went to visit my hometown in Germany and some other local places where I lived as a young boy, I visited a few gardens.  Let me tell you, Germans don't like weeds and it is very hard to find weeds in any of the gardens I visited.  Rows are straight, plants are healthy and growing well and every aisle is clean as a whistle.  

For as long as I can remember, keeping the garden clear of weeds was a dream that I was never able to achieve.  I started weeding my parent's garden back when I was 10 years old.  I hated it. The only reason I stuck with it was that I was rewarded with the biggest, best tasting tomatoes ever.  My dad would get a truck load of cow manure dropped off on the front of the driveway and the entire neighborhood knew they were in for some good vegetables in a few months.

I had a garden in my front yard in Teaneck, NJ and grandparents with their grandkids would come by and point out the different vegetables I was growing.  Sometimes they got it right, other times I would chuckle as someone would point to a bean and tell their youngster, "Look at those big peas".  I always had weeds, but it wasn't too bad, as I had a thick layer of leaf mulch all over the garden.  I would go to the a neighboring town's recycle center where they did a great job turning all the grass clippings and leaves often, resulting in a rich compost and it was free for the picking.  We would fill up lots of garbage bags of compost, bring it home and I would spread it.  Not quite the cow manure my father used, but also not as smelly.

My time in Mansfield was spent doing more weeding than picking of vegetables.  We had a large garden that started off nicely, as I had a Troybilt tiller that my dad would use for  one section of the backyard for his tomato plants, gooseberries and currants, while I  tilled another section where I grew vegetables, blueberries and peaches. 

By the time July came around, keeping up with the weeds was difficult, despite having 4 of us weeding quite often.  After my dad passed, my mom was living with us, but she no longer was interested in weeding.  Nancy had medical issues that limited her outdoor garden tasks, so pretty soon, despite all my efforts, the weeds took over, big time.  The backyard didn't look clean again until we did the final landscaping prior to moving to Delaware.

I promised myself I would not have a huge garden down here in Delaware, as I knew it was hard to keep up.  Every spring, the promise of a nice clean garden with all the new seedlings looking sharp, would build the optimism that this time the garden will be great looking.  

Alas, no such luck. The excitement and enthusiasm starts to dissipate as the weather turns warmer and warmer.  Pretty soon, going out and weeding is an after thought, or more so, no thought.  Gardening became picking some nice cukes, tomatoes, broccoli and blackberries and close your eyes to the weeds.  By the end of the summer, the garden would look like a jungle, overrun by weeds and season ending plantings. 

Well, I can't call myself a true German unless I have a weed free garden with nice straight rows and a good supply of crops. 

I start with high hopes and big plans.  It is like wanting to run a marathon and the first few weeks of training go great.  Then you realize training for the marathon is hard work, takes lots of time, energy and focus.  Reality starts to set in and unless you are really, really disciplined and focused, the training starts to trail off and the idea of running a good marathon goes out the window.

I really want to have a nice looking and productive garden.  I have already put in some good hours getting things set as the early cool crops do their thing.  I won't make any promises, but my attitude is to make my German relatives proud of one of their own.....ha, ha.

The biggest hurdle down here is Bermuda grass.  I have mentioned this before.  It is nasty.  I don't like to spray because of our dogs and just because I don't like poisons around food that we eat.  I have spent the last few days ripping out as much of the Bermuda as I can.  The roots can run a foot deep and if you leave even a little bit of root, up pops more Bermuda.  I am hoping that if I keep an eye for any green coming up and cutting it out, I may eventually slow this stuff down, if not kill it off.

I have some nice leaf mold from our neighbor across the way and I also have a good pile of compost I generated from last year.  I am using organic fertilizers and no sprays.  We have lots of nice birds who are getting free food from us that I hope will go and find some bugs to eat.    

Nancy has been able to do some clearing around her flower gardens.  She is very good at clipping the perennials and I am good at cleaning up behind her.  The hydrangeas we bought last year started out a bit sickly, but have really started to come on.  The Iris we got from my brother in law is doing just super.  They had been in a shady area and are now prospering in full sun.  The three redbuds have grown and leafed out as well, with only one having to be replaced.  Our neighbor was kind enough to let us have one of his seedlings.  We now have two nice knockout double bloom roses that seem to be doing well.  We got one last spring and picked up a second one recently.  The perennial Geraniums I bought are also doing quite well. They are not spreading yet, but at least they look quite healthy.

We get a lot of our gardening items from a local Amish Nursery that has some excellent products, particularly hanging flower pots.  They are a bit on the expensive side, but they last through most of the summer and are just beautiful. 

So, the season now begins in earnest, as I am up early getting my morning walk done before 7 am, then make breakfast for us. After that, off to the garden hunting for weeds.....wish us luck!!

Here are some updated photos of the garden.  I am still not done, but making progress.  The area under the blackberry bushes have those nasty Bermuda and some other weeds that never seem to die.  I am expanding a bit of the garden to get a few rows of carrots in the ground. In a few days the rest of the tomatoes, cukes and peppers will find a home in the back garden where everything gets full sun.

This property used to be a truck farm, run by our friend's family from the end of World War 2 until our friend's dad retired and sold off some sections.  So, the mostly clay soil is actually quite good, as our friend told us that our land was usually covered in pea plants.

Our lilac bush coming back nicely after almost dying out

The cold crops, Broccoli, Cabbage, onions, radishes and bok choi

A view of the back garden 

Azalea bush with two colors. This azalea also blooms twice a season

Just a store bought Red Bliss potato I brought up from Florida

Norland Red Potatoes

Snap peas with Snow peas and Field peas on the left

Knee high by June?  Maybe so.  Started these in Florida and they are doing ok. I also planted seeds directly, but they are not coming up.                                                                                                                        

Tomatoes on the right, cucumbers on the left.  

Bok Choi plantings

Broccoli

One of Nancy's numerous hanging plants

Begonia hanging basket from the Amish Nursery given to Nancy on Mother's Day

Our new double blossom knockout rose

Cranbill Geranium growing nicely

Hosta and daylily brought from my brother's beach house

Dianthus plant now 3 years old

Nancy's new water fountain that lights up at night