Last night, Chino the Handyman called to ask why his chickens had stopped laying eggs. Chino is my neighbor Girly Girl’s husband. Last year we gave Chino’s kids 4 of our backyard chickens. They thought it would be fun for their kids to collect eggs. After about 6 weeks they sent one of the hens back because she was too noisy.
I’m not exactly sure they are cut out to have a mini farm in suburbia.
But I told Chino that even though I had no idea why his hens had stopped laying eggs, I would stop by anyway.
When I got there I found Chino harvesting rocks.
He and Girly Girl didn’t want to BUY any rocks so they decided to just dig up the side yard instead and find some free ones. I think that’s called suburban farming. Anyway, let’s forget about the rocks and the chickens for a minute.
Remember how Girl Girl asked me to come weed her garden and plant her crops this 2 months ago in exchange for 25 pound sacks of rice and sugar? Well if you don’t, please take a moment and look at these pictures.
Notice how nice and clean {and WEED FREE} her garden looked after I finished?
Ya, let’s just say garden maintenance isn’t her thing.
Over the past few weeks a couple of you wanted to know how Girly Girl’s garden was doing. Well, now you know.
Girly Girl wants me to come over next week and plant her squash seeds for her. I told her I would plant seeds with her kids ONLY IF all the weeds were gone by the time I came over.
But even with the weeds pulled, I’m not to sure she’s up to the whole task of backyard gardening.
What do you think?
Should I plant the seeds, or just toss her the packet and tell her to do it herself? 😉
~Mavis
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Heidi says
I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one. Although I completely understand your frustration….you did get a 25lb bag of sugar for pulling the weeds in the first place so do you have the right to judge her for not keeping it weed free? Hmmm….I’m not sure. I do agree that there is no point in planting anything else until there is a weed free space for the seeds. Squash are very prolific and actually will do fine surrounded by weeds. I know this from experience. tee hee hee
Jean says
Squash may actually be helped by a few surrounding weeds – when the weeds flower, they attract all kinds of beneficial insects, and that may help keep the squash bugs and vine borers at bay. I’ve had a few squash hills where there were other flowers and a few weeds. It was a GREAT year, with no squash pests until the end of the season when a few small worms came to call. Other people in my area were calling it quits on squash. I just smiled modestly. 😉
Ashley says
I say you should trick her and plant something else, like a ton of cilantro or anything else that spreads :p
Sarah says
We use Preen for weed control and it works really well. It doesn’t kill weeds, so you’ll still have to get rid of the existing stuff, but it will help prevent them from growing back. They even have an organic kind that’s good for using around vegetables and other edible plants.
Melody says
Problem with weeds…. if you let them go to seed like it looks like these have it just gets progressively harder to keep up with them. I hate weeding with a passion, but I force myself to spend 10 minutes every day after dinner to go out and play I-spy-the-weeds and yank them before they get too out of hand. It really isn’t a huge chore if you spend a little time each day doing it!
Jane says
Excellent advice, Melody!
Meg Best says
I would still plant and share growing with them – we are all on paths that are far different and they are of like mind. So, I would encourage their farming and chickens in a way that is good for all – lots of perennials and a big squash bed are healthy and give a real feeling of accomplishment.
Kim says
Have her HELP you. Its a earning experience. She could pay her kids—give them each a section and work on it together, teach them about gardening. Surely, she can plant squash seeds, how hard is that?
quit going so crazy about weeding. I go out in the boring, collect the bugs off the potato plants, pull the larger weeds and then water the garden. Later in the day, I might take the cultivator and rough up the ground enough to dislodge some of the smaller weedlings and let them dry out in the sun. That’s my plan, easy enough.
Dee says
Seems as if she just want someone to do it for her. Find out her motivation in wanting to garden. If she’s not interested or capable of doing all the steps required to have a garden maybe you guys can come to some sort of arrangements about the parts she doesn’t want to do. Other than that it isn’t your responsibility to to keep her garden. If she wants to learn she needs to be with you side by side when you tend her garden.
If she can collect rocks she can pull weeds.
Mistie says
I agree here. Maybe she could “lease out her beds to you to cultivate”. Make her yard look well, it will add to your 2,000 lb goal of produce and for payment for you doing the work. You could give her a percent of the harvest for trade in “letting you use the beds”. Does that make sense? I’m on my phone so I can’t read all of what I wrote.
Linda says
I was thinking that very same thing, Mistie. If you want more garden space Mavis.
Cathy says
I hate weeding! I spray my paths with vinegar on a sunny day and use newspaper and mulch where ever I can in my flower and vegetable beds. In veggie beds with space between the plants – tomatoes, squash, peppers, etc, I plant my veggie, then spread a thin layer of newspaper around my plants and cover with mulch. Give everything a good spray of water and I’m good to go. Weeds won’t pop up through the newspapers, but water will still go through them. I have some terrible morning glory in one of my beds and it’s almost gone now. A few plants popped up through the cracks in the newspaper last fall, but they were really easy to get out since the roots were about a foot long looking for the light! The newspaper should break down over the winter and enriches the soil at the same time. My plants loved it! It also helps retain water on those hot summer days so I don’t have to water as often.
Jill Frank says
I was going to say pretty much the same thing… Vinegar those weeds. Mulch around plants. I also like the 10 minutes a day idea. A few minutes every day (or every other day) and you will control those pesky weeds.
Lisa says
Obviously it’s not her thing.
Jane says
I’d get her started and let her finish up. Sometimes after doing something yourself you’re more invested in the outcome. Maybe that’s why the weeds weren’t pulled as they came up?
As far as the chickens not laying…we’ve found that the top two reasons are that they don’t have enough access to feed or water. The water is especially a big deal. If your chickens mostly free-range like ours do, it’s easy to think they’re getting enough through the plants they eat but we’ve found they need much more than that. Not sure if that was the problem or not, but thought I’d throw it out there:-).
tali says
I see another 25lbI of sugar in your future (more if you have to weed).
Victoria Bennett says
tell her nicely to hire a gardener lol
Julie says
I think she likes the idea of producing some of her own food, but isn’t interested in the reality of it. Pretty sure helping her is pointless.
Marie says
Here’s how I would call it:
If she is girly girly because she has nail polish on her fingertips and just a hint of root growth ’cause she needs a touch up, then let her kids enjoy whatever happens. If not….then help her with a coup, take some greens over for the chickens and teach the kids how to plant the seeds. THEY might be the next future farmers of America!
Seems like you have a wonderful friendship with the family. Don’t sidetrack it just ’cause. My money lies on the fact that they both must work outside of the homestead. Careful adding another chore to their already full plate.
Sue says
As coordinator of our community gardens, I like to see them weed free. In the early spring I will often help many of the gardeners with their weeding. We all know that each person brings different amounts of skill, determination and pride to their garden. So, when all the gardens are up to par and they discontinue weeding, I do get very frustrated. I just can’t understand why they don’t want to keep their gardens looking good with healthy food growing. I think I would help plant only if the weeds were pulled and the garden ready unless there was something more to barter! Surely Girly Girl would understand.
Stephanie says
Show her how to plant to squash. Seven years ago, I started gardening like Girly Girl with the help of a doubtful old neighbor (that first year didn’t go too well). I still weed in heels & harvest with my hair done, but I don’t buy much grocery store produce anymore. I can my excess & I even figured out how to root cellar in my suburban neighborhood basement.
As far as the weeds, I’m with Sarah & Cathy, weeding sucks too bad. Show Girly Girl how to cover those walkways with vinegar soaked newspaper or cardboard to kill the ones that are there, then tell her about using a corn gluten product like Organic Preen to prevent more weeds from coming up. Just don’t use it where you plant seeds or it will prevent those from growing, too.
Irene says
I would show her how to use the chickens to weed. Just sprinkle the bed with scratch and a few hours later, it’s done and probably even fertilized. Plus it’s a very fun thing to watch. Then they will have plenty of time and energy left over to harvest more rocks.
Sharon says
I would give her a gardening website and tell her to read up on how to plant squash. Sounds like she wants you to do all her work for her and she will reap the fruits. Most gardeners are learn as they go. If you love it, you love it. If you don’t, then hire a gardener. Some people just aren’t countrified and will never be able to tend the earth, but she may have other gifts that she can provide for your community. By the way, I love to pull weeds…..puts me in touch with my garden. Of course I pull weeds in parking lots and yards that aren’t mine. I see a weed and I just have to go after it.