Growing Vegies Amongst the Monsters

As you may have read in my profile I am currently studying Horticulture at Melb Uni.  As an assignment for one of my courses the class is required to start up and care for their own vegetable plot, growing lettuces, tomatoes, leeks, beans, celery, carrots and zucchini. 

The plots have their own drip irrigation systems so there isn’t too much work required there.  You may also need to do a little pruning and staking but overall you can stand back, look at your plot and admire the way it takes care of itself. 

My naivety soon becomes clear when I return from a coolish weekend to find almost meter high small nettles closing in and around my plot.  They’re in amongst the carrots and all over the beans.  Looking over at other plots I see the battle is nearing weed victory as the vegetable plants are hidden from sight by the nettles.  Like vicious animals they bite at your bear ankles if you get too close and nearly take your hand off if you try to interfere with their plans. 

Never before have I seen such aggressive and hostile weeds.  The rate at which they grow and their stinging defence make them a very formidable foe.  Turning your back on them for too long could result in an invasion more advanced than you’re prepared for.  There are several other species of weeds growing around the vegies but nothing as savage as these. 

My plan of attack, once I was made witness to the awesome power of these monsters, was to suffocate them.  Any offender larger than a few centimetres was pulled from the site and the rest were smothered with pea straw mulch.  The mass of surrounding nettles growing close by tried to pull a Stalingrad by coming from behind. Once I caught wind of the situation they took poorly to a good hoeing.  The remainder of their corpses were then buried under more mulch. 

The war against this enemy still wages on but my battle is over and won…….for now.