Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: tired

Many Hands Make Light Work

Yesterday we had some friends over and got a lot of yardwork done. First a couple of folks showed up to remove the poision ivy from the northwest corner of the ritual meadow. (They aren't allergic to it.) Then two more people came over and we worked on carting brush to the firepit, pulling up dead field weeds along the north and south edges, and digging up thistles. The raspberry canes along the south fence are pretty well exposed now. The ritual meadow is looking nicer.

Today I bought more grass seed for bare patches in various parts of the lawn. I raked the leaves off the strip garden next to the cistern garden and weeded the strip. I also gathered up ashes from the firepit and dumped them down the big hole that some critter keeps digging in the cistern garden.

There are big clumps of herbs growing where they don't belong, as usual. I've already given away two pots of chocolate mint. There's catnip and motherwort out the wazoo. Also lemon balm, horehound, tarragon, and some other stuff. Last year I dug Attila the Tarragon out of the cistern garden and this year -- no doubt in response to the power vacuum -- the spearmint seems to be advancing. Comfrey, Lady's mantle, and rhubarb are all sprouting so those survived the winter.

I'm hoping to get a couple truckloads of mulch with a friend's help, some time after Beltane. Then we can re-mulch the south hedge to help keep the weeds down there. I'm tired but happy. Well, except for the fact that the friggin' lawnmower did its usual trick again, mowing for a few hours and then breaking down.
Tags: community, gardening, personal
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  • 3 comments
wheezinggirl

wheezinggirl

April 22 2008, 01:06:25 UTC 13 years ago

I am glad you posted this. How do you get rid of the poison ivy? Just by hand? We were up at our land in Asheville and up one of the trails was a TON of poison ivy. I am very sensitive to it, but oneandonlymatt isn't. Do you pull it out or weedeat it?
ysabetwordsmith

ysabetwordsmith

April 22 2008, 01:19:55 UTC 13 years ago

They used clippers to cut away the vines, and sprayed weed killer on the cut ends; plus they used a shovel to dig up some of the roots. I'm sure it will take more effort later after the leaves open. That stuff is hard to eradicate.

Small plants can be pulled, especially vines growing along the ground. Woody vines or shrub forms are harder. Weed-eating is a BAD idea: it shreds the irritant and spreads it everywhere. Also burning is BAD because the smoke can get into lungs and cause inflammation there.
arielstarshadow

arielstarshadow

April 22 2008, 01:16:37 UTC 13 years ago

Having help is always nice, especially if it's heavy-duty gardening.