Work Party Tuesday 7/19 - 2:00pm-5:30pm

Weeds in our first raised beds

Tomorrow Tuesday July 19, work party from 2:00pm to 5:30pm
with Juaquin and Poki

AGENDA

• Understanding weeds-which ones need to be removed and which ones are nutritious food and excellent soil builders
• Making soil (with arroyo leaf mulch, arroyo sand and local soil) to plant seeds in flats for our next crop cycle
• Building flats from old fencing material
• Fertilizing with Soil Secrets products
• Transplanting tomatoes and wild strawberries

Michelle, Michael and Poki building flats last week



PERSONAL / CULTURAL BENEFITS OF EATING WEEDS:

• Develop a closer relationship with nature
• Become a part of the environment you live in, rather than imposing yourself on top of it
• The adventure of wild food hunt is so much more fun than shopping!
• It makes you take notice of what is around you, and understand patterns and cycles in nature
• Let go of the belief that we need to control nature
• It’s a freely available resource

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS:

• Leafy greens contain almost all of the vitamins and minerals we need
• Eating a variety of greens gives you a range of nutrients.
• Most weeds are credited with some medicinal value.
• Animals instinctively know which plants to eat when ill. Perhaps by becoming more familiar with the plants that grow in our area we can develop the same instincts and take more responsibility for our own health.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF WEEDS:

• Weeds are often pioneers of disturbed soil, they repair degraded land
• Prevent erosion and reduce salinity
• Weeds build soil, and create shade and shelter for the next stage of growth, which then shades out the weeds

BENEFITS IN THE GARDEN:

• Soil indicator – the type of weeds that grow somewhere indicate soil type, pH, drainage, soil structure, salinity
• Soil improver – weeds can add organic matter to the soil, bring nutrients from deep in the soil to the surface to feed other plants, and provide mulch
• Compost additive – weeds are high in nutrients and can be made into liquid fertilizer or rich compost
• They can be a living mulch.
• They attract predator insects, so aiding with pest control.