Lettuce coming up everywhere!

I always let one or two lettuce plants go to seed each year so that in the spring I get lettuce coming up all over the garden. It doesn't require any additional work. This year it is coming up all over my side yard because we don't have grass in yet. AND I found this cutie in my driveway!

I like pulling weeds

I think I really like yanking weeds. It's a satisfying sensation when you get a good grip on the base of a plant and the soil has just the right amount of moisture and the roots rip right out. Maybe I like the constructive way to work out my aggression.

But here's what I don't like:

These are shamrocks, also known as oxalis.

And this is what they look like when they are embedded among the plants you want to keep.
So I just spent the sunny afternoon digging up this entire plant and several others. I performed surgery by carefully separately the shamrock roots from the ice plant roots. Then I replanted the ice plant.

This is why the shamrocks are so vicious:

They reproduce by underground roots. They spread like crazy. This one was pretty small compared to some of the intricate shamrock mafia systems that I unthreaded from the plant. But I didn't want to touch my camera with my dirty hands again.

My grandmother was very proud of our Irish roots. I do NOT like these roots.

My neighbor is making sure I will be fighting this and many other weeds for decades. I've found that a cocktail of Roundup and Weed-B-Gone are very effective against morning glory. I'm starting to get control of that one. But the shamrocks are tough because the seedlings are so teeny and hard to catch. Before you know it, you have a full blown infestation.

At least I like pulling weeds on a sunny day.

Spray the Fruit Trees

When the blossoms on your fruit trees fade, it is time to start spraying them on a regular schedule. I use Imidan that needs to be applied every 17 days.

Here I go...

Make your own hotcaps!

I was at the garden center yesterday and right next to the official HotKaps (for 89 cents EACH) was this sample homemade hotcap. You cut an X in the bottom of a milk carton and then 2" up the sides. Flare out the triangular pieces. Cover your plant and throw dirt on the flared out portion to secure them down so they don't blow away. This is great! They stand a little taller than just cutting off the bottom of the milk carton and are more secure.

NOTE: I tried milk carton hotcaps last year and my plants got too hot. So keep the lid of the milk carton off unless it gets really cold. Then you can just go out and put the lids on for a day or two.

Thanks to Vineyard Garden Center for this great tip.