Good Weeds to Welcome in Your Garden

There’s really no such thing as a weed in nature. As they point out at the Department of Agronomy at Penn State University, weeds are simply plants “whose undesirable qualities outweigh their good points” in your eyes.

It’s our human activities like farming, gardening, creating golf courses & parks that create “weed problems.”

We think of weeds as pests; plants that grow where we don’t want them. As weeds produce an abundant amount of seeds which can survive for long periods of time in a dormant state; they are, “naturally strong competitors” for “water, light, soil nutrients & space” needed by our plants that we want to grow.

Weeds have their drawbacks: they can be hosts for crop diseases, provide shelter for insects & produce substances toxic to plants, animals & us; think about poison ivy. Not surprisingly, we spend billions annually to control & eradicate weeds.

Weeds, which aren’t trying to push out our plants have numerous benefits, from stabilizing the soil to providing habitat & food for wildlife, as milkweed does for monarch butterflies.

These are some good weeds that can be welcomed in our yard rather than viewed as the archenemy:

1. Pennycress

Helen Atthowe of Vegan Permaculture observed that pennycress, a

common roadside plant, didn’t compete with her crops & attracted beneficial insects. She started to allow pennycress to spread, hoping that it would prevent other weeds more likely to compete with her crops from doing the same. Rather than eradicating weeds, “editing” them can be beneficial.

Pennycress has other potential uses, as well. Researchers are investigating whether field pennycress might be a source of biofuel for us to use, as its seeds contain an oil that has uses in producing biodiesel.

2. Lamb’s Quarters

Lamb’s quarters are a weed;  another is goldenrod that protect your plants

by luring away insects that can cause them damage.  You can also eat Lamb’s quarters, but be careful, if they’ve been planted in contaminated soil.  They can provide you up to twice as much nutrition as spinach or Swiss chard.

As one urban forager notes, they’re not so tasty raw. But sauté them with a little olive oil, & you’ll wonder why the plant is even called a weed!

3. Clover

While many seek to uproot it from lawns, clover used to be included in

grass seed mixes, as it helps to fertilize your soil. A legume, clover fixes nitrogen & adds it to your soil.

Clover also attracts earthworms & can lure rabbits away from eating your grass & your other crops. Clover helps to retain more moisture than it consumes, acting as a sort of “green mulch” or “green manure” for surrounding plants.

4. Dandelion

This weed may irk those who want their lawn to look like a carpet, but

it has numerous uses for your lawn. Dandelions have strong tap roots that extend far under the ground, breaking up your hard soil & bringing up nutrients that plants with shorter roots can’t access themselves.

Dandelions also exude minerals & nitrogen via their roots. Plus, they attract honeybees & repel army worms.

Dandelion leaves are edible:  the young ones in your salad & the older ones steamed. After being dried, chopped & roasted, the roots can be used to make a coffee substitute for you that is said to have detoxification effects.

5. Mugwort

also known as “felon’s weed”, grows in your lawns, waste places, golf

fairways, shores, roadsides & along railroad tracks.  It’s resistant to mowing & has ”strong & persistent rhizomes,” it’s not easily eliminated.

A senior research scientist at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, calls mugwort the “quintessential urban weed.” It’s not welcomed by your landscapers, but the plant has properties, including the ability to absorb heavy metals from your ground, prevent erosion on slopes & replenish your soil that has been stripped of nutrients.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, a weed is a plant whose virtues haven’t been discovered. We might even say, in the words of Del Tredici, that “weed” is a “politically incorrect term” & an unfair “value judgment” on plants that have much to offer us.

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I found this to be very interesting information as I’m now working on my yard. I just fertilized my front yard & after reading this, I believe, I won’t fertilize the back so I can let the clover grow. I never knew it was beneficial for my yard…