To Weed or Not to Weed.... that is the question

     Really, who wants to spend a beautiful Saturday morning bent over the flower beds pulling random weeds?  Or worse yet, HOW do you control the weeds in your yard? 

     Websters.com defines a weed as “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially :  one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants (2) :  a weedy growth of plants”.  Wikipedia says “A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation. Examples commonly are plants unwanted in human-controlled settings, such as farm fields, gardens, lawns, and parks.”  But,  Wiki is also quick to point out “Taxonomically, the term "weed" has no botanical significance, because a plant that is a weed in one context is not a weed when growing in a situation where it is in fact wanted, and where one species of plant is a valuable crop plant, another species in the same genus might be a serious weed, such as a wild bramble growing among cultivated loganberries.”  Long story short, if you like it, it's not a weed.

photo taken from Bing Images

     Let’s take Plantago major (Weed plantain) for instance (not the banana type one).  To most of the world, it is a broadleaf weed that looks a lot like dandelion.   But it has some really awesome properties!   As an organic “chicken keeper” plantain is something  ‘we’  all try to cultivate because when applied to a cut or burn, plantain helps wounds heal faster, and it is usually readily available in a backyard and it is also usually more handy than trying to run for the first aid kit with a bleeding, squawking, flailing chicken in your arms.  Plantain is also edible.   I’m copying a huge portion of what I read on livescience.com because it’s really fascinating.

Plantain has a nutritional profile similar to dandelion — that is, loaded with iron and other important vitamins and minerals. The leaves are tastiest when small and tender, usually in the spring but whenever new shoots appear after being cut back by a lawnmower. Bigger leaves are edible but bitter and fibrous

The shoots of the broadleaf plantain, when green and tender and no longer than about four inches, can be described as a poor-man's fiddlehead, with a nutty, asparagus-like taste. Pan-fry in olive oil for just a few seconds to bring out this taste. The longer, browner shoots are also tasty prepared the same way, but the inner stem is too fibrous. You'll need to place the shoot in your mouth, clench with your teeth, and quickly pull out the stem. What you're eating are the plantain seeds.

The leaves of the equally ubiquitous narrow-leaf plantain, or Plantago lanceolata, also are edible when young. The shoot is "edible" only with quotation marks. You can eat the seeds should you have the patience to collect hundreds of plants for the handful of seeds you'd harvest. With time being money, it's likely not worth it.

So.  Not all “weeds are bad”.  But for most homeowners who want a beautifully manicured lawn, things like Dandelions, Plantain, Lamb’s Quarters, and Stinging Nettles are both unsightly and unwanted.   

Now with that all being said, we will visit parts of this topic in a few more posts.  In the meantime, I have a PoliSci exam to study for.... so for me, the question is... to study or to blog... Unfortunately I really enjoy having a high GPA so I'm off to study while you digest all that.