Weeds, sin and genetics.

[dooleysm]

Maybe I'll give it a try then. I was just out at the garden last night wondering what to do with my quickly fading lettuce patch.

 

[jimmyj]

"one years seeds, seven years weeds"

We have a never ending battle against weeds and last year they got the better of me and I gave up. Now I expect to pay for it for a long time.

It seems the only way to really get ahead of them is to spend time in the garden.

 

[jinman]

Speakin' of okra. . .
I was just out in my garden yesterday, looking at my okra that is ready to start blooming. We've had several days of rain showers and that's washed off most of my insecticide. I have a real problem with aphids and can either soap them or use Sevin to keep them under control. While looking at the okra, I noticed this shy little bug that would move around the stem to the opposite side of where I was. They also jumped 2 or 3 feet and would fly away if pestered too much.

I checked my Audubon insect guide and found that they looked like Sharpshooters. The Audubon guide said they were only in Florida, so I did an internet search and came up with the Texas A&M insect identification site. Sure enough, they said the Sharpshooter likes okra and we have lots of them here in Texas. Here is a link and some photos of my bugs.

Sharpshooter Description

Sharpshooter Photo

And here are a few photos I took on my okra. It's always somethin'.

 

[N80]

Sounds like okra might be the weed I'm looking for. It seems late but maybe I'll plant some in the next week or so. I think they make an okra seed plate for my little push planter.

 

[RobJ]

I've officially given up on some garden areas because of the weeds. I've been preparing/planting one place for 5 years. Figured I eventually get rid of most stuff. NOT! Last year after having the goat weed under control, bam, goat weed everywhere. I figured I might be able to control the grasses to, NOT!. And this after I mow it in the off season before anything heads out. I disk it probably 5-6 times a year...half acre maybe. It's a weekend place so I can't weed it daily.

ALL this work to only have a drout kill everything. I put in a raised 12x12 near the house, things are gushing over!! Little electric wire just in case. Oh yeah, close to the house it has a sprinkler system and it gets water 3 times a week. Little local soil with some Lowes compost, dirt, mulch, just a couple weeds.

 

[J_J]

Perhaps, but man almost always overcomes the challenge put before him.. A rather large brain is a great asset, that can make logical decisions about how things work, and how things should not work. Weeds and food plots for example. We know they have an equal chance under some conditions, but if you want to accelerate one and diminish the other you have to make some logical decisions, and hope that are the right ones. Man has overcame most of the things that get in his way, and will continue that way until drugs or a nasty bacteria takes us down the road to destruction. If we can not produce food, man will die. There are just to many people on the earth to feed, so we have to get better at what we do. I don't think the people we voted in office are really looking out for our welfare, and farming practices. They have some of the best health plans in existence. They slap each other on the back and say, vote for my plan, and I will vote for yours, by the way did we vote ourselves a new pay raise? Just darn, I hate going back to my hometown, all they do is bit*h, bit*h, bit*h.

 

[Bird]

Speakin' of okra. . .

Way back in the stone age, when I was 12-14 years old, okra was one of my money crops at Healdton, OK. The little town only had 2 or 3 grocery stores, and I'd plant my okra early in hopes of having okra to sell before anyone else had theirs producing. I don't remember what retail prices were, but I do remember that I'd get 35 cents a pound early in the year, then it would gradually go down in price until by by late summer, I'd be selling it to those grocery stores for 5 cents a pound. But cokes and candy bars only cost a nickel back then, too.

 

[jinman]

I don't remember what retail prices were, but I do remember that I'd get 35 cents a pound early in the year, then it would gradually go down in price until by by late summer, I'd be selling it to those grocery stores for 5 cents a pound. But cokes and candy bars only cost a nickel back then, too.

Bird, I think the ROI is better on okra now. I've seen it for almost $4/lb early in the season and it goes for $3/lb or slightly more later in the season. A big cup of soda with ice can be had for under a dollar. So, your $0.35 was fantastic for the time, but the $0.05 was not so good.

When I was a kid, we used to pick wild blacberries for $1/gal and sell blackeye peas for $2.50/bushel. We would take okra and squash to the local stores and get whatever they were paying. We never had trouble getting rid of any of our produce for a fair price.

 

[Bird]

Jim, we used all our blackberries ourselves, but I did go door to door with big red plum samples taking orders and would deliver fresh ones the next day for 50 cents a gallon. I also picked up and sold pecans, but I don't remember what kind of prices they brought. And I don't remember what blackeyed peas were worth because that was one of my younger sisters' money crop instead of mine.

 

[RobJ]

Perhaps, but man almost always overcomes the challenge put before him.. A rather large brain is a great asset, that can make logical decisions about how things work, and how things should not work. Weeds and food plots for example. We know they have an equal chance under some conditions, but if you want to accelerate one and diminish the other you have to make some logical decisions, and hope that are the right ones.

Yeah buddy, we call it ROUND UP!!

Actually I don't think weeds .vs food crops have an equal chance. Indigenous things have already adapted to the area. We can and do get grass to grow in the desert, but it takes a whole lot of water!!