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Author Topic: Ugh - ground elder  (Read 11062 times)

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Ugh - ground elder
« on: March 27, 2011, 12:13:54 pm »
One corner of my garden is infested with ground elder.

at the moment I am just digging up what I can and burning the results in my husbands garage stove (I don't compost the ash from that).

Problem is - alot of it is intertwined with the snowdrops and stuff which I don't want to dig up at the moment but I expect that it's going to be inevitable eventually.

Any suggestions?

Susanna
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 12:36:28 pm »
Been there!  It's a nightmare - even if you try to dig it all up the tiniest bit of root will start it all up again.  We had some success with the touch on weedkiller you apply directly to the leaves - that and roundup, but that would kill your bulbs too.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2011, 01:07:48 pm »
if you hold off till the snowdrops die off, roundup will kill the ground elder quite well and not harm the bulbs!!!

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2011, 12:05:20 am »
Hi there.  I was battling the wretched stuff yesterday too.  In the garden where I grew up, my Dad eventually gave up with the ground elder and grassed over the whole area so it was cut regularly and that did kill it off after a few years.  Mine is in a shrubbery and it seems impossible to dig out.  I don't use weed killers, but as this is well away from my veg bit I am almost tempted - it is however just a few yards from our well, which is our only water supply, so I don't want to contaminate that.
Apparently you can eat it, but I think that would be a long and slow way to eliminate it  :D :D
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

fruitfarm

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • The Lincolnshire Fens
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2011, 10:58:51 am »


 Sorry I don't have any ideas how to get rid of this menace..I'm just sympathizing.  We had loads of it in our last garden. Eventually we took the ultimate option and moved!

YorkshireSmallholder

  • Joined Jun 2008
  • East Yorkshire
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 01:50:02 pm »
I can sympathise with you Susanna as we are overrrun with the stuff too - on the plus side we do eat it (although it is an acquired taste - best wilted with fried bacon & onions). We just keep picking it & feeding what we don't eat to the pigs & chickens.

Try to think of it as more of a crop than a weed  ;D

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2011, 04:09:18 pm »
Yes - I need to keep going at it and change my attitude so that it doesn't depress me so much :-))

I'm going to try the recipe.

Thanks

Susanna
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2011, 07:29:41 am »
I've given up and only dig it up where I need the space to grow other things. It is actually not that ugly as a ground cover until it flowers and makes a tasty early spring veg - we use the young leaves in salads and together with nettle tips make a nice spinach substitute. Makes me feel much better than a hopeless battle  ;)
My battles I am fighting with dock roots and couch grass, can't eat the blooming things  ::)
Susanna, why do you not compost the ashes???  :&>

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2011, 08:54:53 pm »
We've got loads of ashes from our stove which is just wood burning.

My husband burns all sorts of other things in his garage stove (including the ground elder roots) so - god knows what is in the ashes....... and I have enough anyway so.......

I must try cooking with nettles one day soon. I've come across another patch on the stream bank :-(

But actually - it is quite satisfying pulling it up.
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2011, 12:57:18 am »
Don't forget to leave some nettles for the butterflies - they are the food source for tortoiseshell larvae  :bfly: :bfly: :bfly:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Sylvia

  • Joined Aug 2009
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2011, 05:20:53 pm »
Ground Elder and Nettle soup is very nice. :)

Sandy

  • Guest
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2011, 05:25:58 pm »
THe chickens ate all green stuff in thier bit of the garden, if they all go, I will have one hell of a weed problem, flowers would grow again though  ;)

ellisr

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • Wales
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2011, 07:09:25 pm »
I have a weed wand and that deals with it well

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2011, 08:11:17 am »
I have a weed wand and that deals with it well

Ooooh - what's that?

Susanna
We do the best we can with the information we have

When we know better we do better

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: Ugh - ground elder
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2011, 08:19:44 am »
ellisr is a witch!!!
We need an icon for that, Dan  ;D

 :&>

 

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