Quackgrass weed in the November vegetable garden

 I knew laying down old bales of straw (not hay) might attract mice, but that it was basically weed free to use as a top mulch. When prepping the soil in the back garden on November 27, 2022, for Spring vegetables for 2023, I observed a grassy weed dying back on the ground. QUACKGRASS. Wow it was hard to pull! Hmm deep rhizomes/roots. They can come from bales of straw. I had to dig them out. I made sure the long narrow spike head with seeds was removed - each one has about 25 seeds. This is a noxious weed very hard to get rid of. This year I tried to go around the property and remove as many seed heads as possible.

I'd like to do a weed count in the organic garden.

It was hard work but I spent 2 days moving containers with native shrubs from the east side to west side of back yard vegetable garden, remove the old weed cloth, and begin turning over the soil and top dressing with freshly mulched grass and leaves, then covering with new weed cloth for the winter.

My goal is to remove ALL weeds in the garden especially the quack grass and blackberry brambles.  I have all the rest of bare soil to do before the ground freezes. 

It's February 9 2022 - continue cutting down ONE wild, overgrown Privet Hedgerow plant over 20 ft tall

We see immaculateely pruned privet hedges all over Long Island. This is an invasive plant to the U.S. known as Ligustrum Ovalifolium.  I never planted this shrub.  It came up probably from birds dropping seeds around 1999.  It has turned into a monster.  I need to remove it.  I'm getting too old at almost 72 years old for the constant work on my property removing wild invasives. Now there is an invasion of English Ivy underneath the privet and growing up on it.  The area has become a thicket. And now there's Black Locust with killer thorns surrounding the privet. Multiflora rose and Mulberry have also invaded the wild hedgerow. I've been tackling the removal of long, thick, tree-like trunks from a shrub all Winter.  Removing the cut off pieces is slow.  I've filled so many 100's of giant cans with cut up pieces it's endless - I'm talking years of work to cart away in small batches. The Village Sanitation is helping me with larger pieces now as they see me struggling with the chain saw, and loping shears to put it out on the curb for pick up. 

The long 10 foot pole is just half the length of a stem turned into a trunk and this is very heavy.  The top of it is multi branched and bushy like.  

 

The privet develops shoots off the main trunk that grow quickly.  Or they come out of the ground off of roots to grow new plants.  

My plan is to finish topping off the 20 ft hedgerow shrub and place a thick steel chain around it and have a truck rip it out of the ground, and then cut it up into smaller pieces to lift into a garbage truck on lawn rubbish day.  I'll have a crater of a hole left to fill in. Then begins hand ripping out English Ivy and rakng the area clean to begin planting Native plants.  

Half of the Privet was cut down by Feb. 6th 2022, and you can see how massive this plant still is and how long the trunks are, but how bushy the top growth is. Winter is the time to cut it down while the birds are not nesting in the surrounding forsythias - another nightmare non-native plant that is spreading into thickets along the front property.  The Forsythia has to go, too. 

January 25 2022 this is how much was still on the privet after removing a trunk full of cut down branches/trunks. 

December 30 2021 the cutting down of the privet has been ongoing and endless work for me. 

In the above picture, on the last few days of 2021,  I'm using battery operated chain saw and long handled loping shears. 

 Privet can come back again strongly after being cut to ground level. Make sure you remove all traces that you cut back out of the garden or burn it all, don't compost it so as not to re-infect again.  Privet grows particularly well in riparian forests, which are found throughout the SE U.S. Although tolerant of varying soil and light conditions, including a tolerance for shade, privet survives best in mesic soil with abundant sunlight.

When privet is an invasive species, the cost of controlling and removing privet is economically detrimental, something that is problematic for conservation efforts.  

The Moral of this story is DO NOT PLANT a PRIVET HEDGE.  

 Do privet shrubs have deep roots? 

Root depth really depends upon soil type and moisture conditions. Under reasonable growing conditions you can expect to find privet roots in the top 6"-8" of soil, extending out about one and one-half times the diameter of the plant. The roots are not generally thought of as being invasive.  But I disagree.  

December in the Garden

 Allowing leaves to remain where they fall, I have had to steel rake an area surrounding Mom's old Queen Elizabeth climber that has become over run with nasty White Snake Root, and English Ivy, and many 6 foot tall Canadian Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) with tiny daisies and milliions of seed heads ready to drop everywhere. I've pulled out fibrous roots that were 4 foot long. 

The Silver maple quickly dropped all it's leaves during the last windstorm. 

 Also, Greenbrier vines have grown decades here. These native plants are dioecious, meaning they are either male or female. Female vines bear 1/4- to ½-inch fruits that turn blue, red or black when mature in late Autumn. Each fruit contains one to four seeds. These fruits will often remain on the vines well into winter and provide food for more than 40 songbirds, including hermit thrushes, sparrows, cardinals, American robins, gray catbirds, fish crows, wild turkeys, common grackles, northern flickers and mockingbirds. This past winter I watched a mockingbird eating greenbrier fruits more than 26 feet above the ground. The fruits are also devoured by opossums and black bears. White-tailed deer, eastern cottontails, and swamp rabbits will eat greenbrier leaves and vines. Believe it or not, beavers will even feed on the rhizomes. Greenbrier is also important to a fascinating little butterfly known as the harvester. The small, rarely seen butterfly is our only carnivorous butterfly. The harvester lays its eggs on greenbrier leaves. The butterfly does not do this because its caterpillars feed on the plant's leaves. To the contrary, its caterpillars eat wooly aphids that suck juices from the leaves. The food value of the greenbrier has long been recognized by humans. Some folks mix greenbrier in their salad greens. Others use it to make jelly. Native Americans used greenbrier to treat urinary infections and joint pain. In the past, the perennial vine also was used to treat gout and skin diseases. Greenbrier tea was used to alleviate joint pain. I have saved some berries to experiment with and left some for the wildlife.

November 30 - Tempus Fugit - Where did Autumn Go?

 Tuesday, 11/30/2021 - It's 37 degrees with W winds 3 mph.  I've been non-stop working, but at a snail's pace.  I did go camping in October from the 17 - 21.  It was a pretty miserable experience with rain and high winds.  I had booked 2 half day trips at Hither Hills.  I lost $111 and did not go in early October as the weather and my exhaustion were not in best form.  Feeling buried in back-logged chores, I stayed home and worked the best I could inside and out.  

 I'm not sure I want to save a spot for next year in late August - early September because there is a split pole on the tent from gusting winds and not sure I have the energy to do this by myself, anymore.  Many years Ive spent solo camping because no one wants to camp with me. 

Today is November 30th and I have much work before me cleaning up the property, the organic veg garden, and cleaning the shed out, storing tools, and scraping/priming/painting window trim on south windows.  

the bare wood needs to be covered.  It's too cold now.  I may have blown the window of opportunity to finish this.

I'm on the 5th day of a Panceas cleanse and began another blog to cover the food plans.  

https://foodplanforgoodhealth.blogspot.com/

Hoping to get at least 10% of the exterior and interior work done before New Year's Day. 

                                     garden strays that withstand a chill

                      transplanted lettuce into this container for a winter salad

Carrots taste better after a frost

Dug up some newly re-seeded lettuce plants from the earlier lettuce plants.  Will be growing them indoors in December. 

Handful of carrots picked 11/27/2021

 How can it be September 9?   Lindenhurst has had extreme weather patterns of heat waves. and torrential down pours, and high winds.  

All I can report off the top of my head is I had to mow down the veg garden in several different days due to the foxtail grass in seed, crabgrass, and every single weed known to mankind.  

Having missed out on many different garden activities due to chest pains, shortness of breath, and jaw/throat pain when exerting the slightest of effort pushing an electric lawn mower, raking, lifting, etc.  I've wasted enormous amounts of time getting the chores done.  And with all this work, the property still looks disheveled. 

Remembering the neighbor's elderberry shrubs, I stopped by and the man was outside.  He said I could come at anytime as long as the gate was open.  Closed meant his pit bulls were out.  That was last Saturday.   So yesterday, September 8th, I went there and luckily the gates were open.  With MORE rain coming, today, I knew yesterday was my only shot at cutting.   I settled for a brown shopping bag and left content with my offerings.  Their yard was filled with birds all gathering up little berries off the ground.  

I clipped off some nicely dense umbels filled with tiny berries ripened to perfection. 

As forecasted, it's raining, today, and I'm in bed resting to see if any chest pains are coming while the body remains calm, and no there are not. 

 I'm watching what I eat.  I made a stockpot of codfish chowder on Tuesday, September 7th.  

I used turnips from the veg garden.  3 lbs. of wild caught cod filets, clam juice, Maine seafood stock, and fat-free Half & Half.  This is a bowl cozy made by a friend, Bobbie, in Utah.  I just LOVE them.  I use them every day.  

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Back to the elderberries,  I need to boil them and remove the stems because there is cyanide in the plant.  The boiling destroys the chemical.  I need to do this today, but first things first.  I called my Cardiologist and made an appointment for October 1 to be seen.  Phew.  Yes this is a major priority.  

Easy does as easy goes.  Let the grass and weeds have their way.  I'll be paying for it next year with so many weed seeds dropping into the lovely organic rich soil of my gardens.  Seriously I put out to the curb and didn't compost between 3 - 6 giant cans a week of hand pulled invasive weeds to be collected by Sanitation - so how many billion seeds did I kick off the land?   This would have become a jungle.  And I'm not Tarzan's girl, Jane.  Though if I was 40 years younger I might love to swing on a vine with him. 

So it's August 1 already.  Sunday morning.  Air is cool and a great day to get outdoor work done.  Weeds are out of control  10 foot wild lettuce going to seed is growing in asparagus ferns  

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The rain garden is beautiful.  The delicate looking Nigella is coming into bloom.   If you love the flower, Nigella, or Love in a Mist, and you are growing it, then you already have black cumin. Black cumin has been known as a medicinal plant for thousands of years, especially in the Orient. It is used as a spice and as an oil in many ways. Its beneficial properties are mentioned in the Bible and the prophet Mohammed is quoted as saying: “Black cumin cures every disease except death.” In Egypt it was called the gold of the pharaohs and Nefertiti is said to have rubbed herself with it regularly. The botanical name of black cumin is Nigella sativa, while the plant is popularly known under many names, like “kalonji” (from Hindi), “Roman coriander”, or in Germany “Catherine’s flower”, due to its wheel-shaped flowers. In Europe, it was first cultivated during the Middle Ages as a medicinal plant by monks in their monastery gardens. Packed With Antioxidants. May Lower Cholesterol. Could Have Cancer-Fighting Properties. Can Help Kill off Bacteria.

May Alleviate Inflammation. Could Help Protect the Liver. Can Aid in Blood Sugar Regulation. May Prevent Stomach Ulcers. Crack the seeds like you would black pepper and use as a seasoning.

My new Primary Care doctor is suggesting a STATIN drug. Heck no. My bloodwork shows an increase in cholesterol. I just ordered black cumin seed and will use it in a pepper mill - 1/4 teaspoon a day to flavor foods and lower the #'s.

 July 29 2021 -  I've been so busy fostering baby starlings that were just released on July 25th, that I forgot to make July entries here.  

                                       June 23 2021.  2 nestling starlings. 

                                                 July 15 2021 - fledglings

Being so distracted with fostering the birds, the property has sadly returned to weed heaven with a record amount of rainfall this July egging the weeds on.  I've been working slowly on the driveway project and sorely neglected the organic veg garden and the re-painting of the 1929 kitchen.  Why didn't I drop more cardboard down over the insidious weeds germinating faster than lightening?  This morning, I filled a bucket with a plethora of promiscuous weeds that germinated wildly, and I picked a handful of green beans amongst the many weeds turning into seed heads this week.  I have to rip out as many as possible, but another storm is coming today.  And I'm scheduled for a hair cut - first one since 2019. 

Still in physical therapy, my  body has slowed down, and on those mornings when I feel no pain, but am very tired upon awakening,  I love to rest in bed, and listen to the birds. There are so many wonderful bird species living on my property. I could stay in bed for hours with the dual aspect windows wide open and listen to them. I especially love the increase in number of Northern Cardinals who have found the Borage flowers growing wild in the organic veg garden very appealing. They may being eating the flower and the seed.

                                            Cardinal nest and eggs.  

Cardinals eat the seeds of the forsythia shrubs in late Spring .  This is what the seed looks like. 

Bright red male Northern Cardinal.

Bright red with a pointed head crest and black bib, male cardinals are always a welcome sight here. Cardinals prefer thick underbrush for nesting. Cardinals have been expanding their range northward from the south for many years.

Both male and female cardinals sing almost year-round. Common calls include "cheer cheer cheer", "whit-chew whit-chew whit-chew" and "purty purty purty". Cardinals eat seeds, fruit, and insects, and are easily attracted to bird feeders, especially those containing sunflower seeds.

Male cardinals defend their territory. Females usually sing after males establish territory but just before nesting starts. A cardinal's nest consists of a tightly woven cup of roots, stems and twigs lined with fine grass and hair.

I've been seeing many young fledgling cardinals everywhere on the property.  And this brings me back to the veg garden and the wild, overgrown self-sown return of the Borage plants.  Bees are everywhere.  And the cardinals are competing for some of those tasty flowers and seeds. 

I started growing Borage in the mid 1980's. And decorated a lot of cakes, and English Trifles with their flowers. Borage has limited culinary use in today’s foods, but the borage flower is often used as a garnish. I crystalize them for cake decorations. Borage was used to treat many ailments, from jaundice to kidney problems. In medicinal use today it is limited, but the seeds are a source of linolenic acid. Borage flowers are also used in potpourris or candied for use in confections. Their cucumber-flavored leaves are used for tea and other beverages as well as bright, starry blue flowers for decorating salads. All parts of the plant, except the roots, are edible.

Borage, orange day lilies, and asparagus ferns. Rear of the organic vegetable garden in mid-July.  Is it any wonder that the bees and butterflies birds love this peaceful, pristine garden?