The Summer Weeds are Back!

Jun 22, 2021 | Gardens

At the end of June, gardeners might assume that once the vegetables and annuals are planted, they can sit back and relax. After all, you pulled those spring weeds like the bittercress and the chickweed, so the gardens should be done for the summer, right? This would be so great if it were true! Unfortunately, once the temperatures are consistently warm and the soil is moist from your watering, the summer weeds spring into action. 

One that didn’t make the poster is the Virginia creeper, (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is abundant in my gardens this year. If there is such a thing as a mast year for vines as there is for trees, the Virginia creeper must have had one last year…I’ve never seen so many seedlings! 

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is especially abundant in my gardens this year.

It’s easiest to pull all of these when they are small. I try and pull them straight up, wearing gloves but not using a weeding tool, because I don’t want to disturb the soil and expose even more weed seeds to the light. Most weed seeds germinate in response to light and moisture, so the fewer that I turn up when pulling these, the better off I am. 

See you in the garden!

4 Comments

  1. Mary Dee

    C.L Fornari.
    I have used your formula and commercial brands also for rabbits.
    do you have any suggestions for turkeys who stop every day and nibble my clemetis and eat my marigolds

    Reply
    • CL Fornari

      Mary,
      Try putting some floating row cover over the plants for a week. Animals are creatures of habit, so you have to do something that will cause them to develop a habit of going elsewhere. May The Force be with you!

      Reply
  2. Angela Kent

    My back gaden, forest side has really grown very bad I may need someone to come in to do this. Should we dig it up, and put wood chip very big area.

    Reply
    • CL Fornari

      Angela, Impossible for me to know since I haven’t seen your property or know where you live. If there are mature trees in the area, digging it up will harm their roots. Often the best way to start to tame an overgrown area near big trees is to have a landscaper come in with a heavy duty weed wacker or brush cutter and cut the smaller stuff to the ground twice in the summer.

      Reply

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