At this time of year, I'm always torn in several directions.  I want to weed and mulch the fall crops so they'll get off to a good start, but I also want to take some time to pull back weeds around the woody perennials so the weeds don't go to seed.  Luckily, this year I have Kayla to help me out --- she can weed the carrots while I hit the raspberries.

Even with Kayla's help, though, I'm being a lazy weeder so that I can get to the other time-sensitive garden tasks on my list (like finishing clearing up the pastures).  I have a tendency to be obsessive about tasks like weeding, but if I leave my trake behind and limit myself to ripping up big weeds, I can work through a row of berries like the one shown here in less than half an hour.  Next up will be a layer of newspaper to make up for the shoddy nature of my weeding job, then some deep bedding from the nearby chicken coop to feed the berries during their fall root-growth spurt.

Want more in-depth information? Browse through our books.

Or explore more posts by date or by subject.

About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed, or simply check the box beside "email replies to me" while writing your comment.

Powered by Branchable Wiki Hosting.