Our weed this time is a much maligned weed that is actually a good food that foragers look for!
Chenopodium albus (Lambs quarters)
The name, Chenopodium, refers to the shape of the leaves – “goose foot.” Lambs quarters grows where there is very low calcium and phosphorus, very high potassium and magnesium, high sulfur and copper, low humus, good drainage of the soil.
Lambs quarters is another edible, and is in the amaranth family of plants; the seeds are gathered and used similar to quinoa (a relative). It is wind-pollinated and so it does not have showy flowers to attract pollinators. But it is a food source for various insects, caterpillars and wildlife. It can grow to be nearly 2 feet tall, and is often removed from vegetable beds because it is considered a “weed.”
Recognize it? Now you know it’s not a weed, but can be an indicator of soil needs and a source of food.
Continuing our conversation about weeds I’m finding in my garden beds in Tulsa, Oklahoma…..
Lamium amplexicaule (henbit) is common and easy to identify.
This plant tells us the soil is low in calcium, has low porosity, low humus, and low bacteria. It can also indicate poor drainage and sandy soil (the two go together because sand doesn’t hold water very well!). Its job is to provide erosion control by its roots. It likes moist soil and often is in shady places. Henbit is edible and was brought to the Americas for chickens to eat. But wild food foragers say you can eat all of the plant. It’s a member of the mint family, and has lovely purple flowers that bees love.
If you want to read more about weeds and their jobs, I love two great references: John Beeby’s Test Your Soil with Plants (Willits, CA: Ecology Action, 2013); and Jay McCaman’s Weeds and Why They Grow (Sand Lake, MI: Jay McCaman, 1994.
This week we’ll talk about spurges, also called sandmats. There are two types that seem to be prevalent in the gardens I’m tending in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The first, Euphorbia maculata, with purple spots on the leaves.
Spurge – Euphorbia maculata
The second is Euphorbia prostrata, that tends to have a spreading, spiderlike, form.
Euphorbia prostrata
The third type is the Euphorbia serpens, or creeping spurge.
Euphorbia serpens
So what is this about spurges? What are they all about and why do they grow where they are? In other words, what is their job?
Euphorbias are prostrate and spread. They can have a taproot up to 2 feet. They are not edible (and are toxic – the milky latex sap contains diterpene estersin, which can be irritating to the skin).
Spurges tell us that the soil is clay, loam, and sand. Which can be good. But …
Generally spurges indicate low calcium, very low phosphorus, very high potassium and magnesium, high sulfur, high copper, and a hard layer in the soil (thus the long taproot to break up the soil). They also grow where there is poor drainage, which is a symptom of a hard soil layer.
So when you see a lot of spurges in your garden or in your lawn, think about having the soil tested for mineral content, and dig down a bit to see if there is a hard layer just under the top soil.
Want to read more? My favorite references are John Beeby’s Test Your Soil with Plants (Willits, CA: Ecology Action, 2013); and Jay McCaman’s Weeds and Why They Grow (Sand Lake, MI: Jay McCaman, 1994.
As we’ve experienced the first hard freezes (in Tulsa,
10/30-31/19), the leaves on trees are starting to turn, and will be
falling. That’s when lots of people rake
them up, put them in bags, and leave on the curb … for folks like us to pick
up.
Last year, I brought bags of leaves home and piled them in the backyard.
This year, though, I’m building a leaf corral (or two or
three) of chicken wire (poultry netting) and turning the leaves into the
corrals. You can see my new corral with
about 7 bags of leaves from last year.
The 3 ½ foot diameter corral can hold at least 10-12 bags of leaves.
The corral is made of about 12 ft. of chicken wire held
together with zip ties and strengthened into upright position by plastic coated
plant stakes.
7 bags of leaves emptied into corral
Why leaf corrals and keeping leaves? LEAF MOLD!!!
Leaf mold is different from compost. Compost heats up and is a bacterial action. It’s recommended to turn compost often to help aerate and keep the action going. Leaf mold is cold, and fungal action in nature. It takes longer, up to a year or more, but is an incredible soil amendment.
Tree roots go deep, and pull up minerals from deeper soil horizons. These minerals get transferred to the leaves and when the leaves decompose, and are put into the soil, then those minerals become available to plants in the upper horizons.
What minerals you say? Try calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. And beyond that, the leaf mold increases the water holding capacity of soil as well as making it fluffy. Tests – both official and by individuals – indicate the leaf mold increased soil water holding capacity by almost 50 percent! That means your plants growing in the soil will be more drought-tolerant.
So how do you accomplish this? It’s simple. Gather the bags of leaves on the street. Make sure they are clear bags, and contain only leaves – not other junk (I once found a few shards of glass in a black plastic bags of leaves). Construct a leaf corral of about 12′ of chicken wire – I use 3′ high chicken wire, so that I can lift the bags of leaves over it to dump them. I connected both ends of the chicken wire with zip ties, and anchored this corral with some plant stakes woven through the holes in the wire.
Now dump leaves into the corral until it’s full. Make another corral if you have more leaves. Then leave them alone for a year. Check to see if you have deep dark rich humus. Then use it as mulch for your plantings.
