Invasive Plants

[ChickensAndCows]

Do you struggle with invasive plant species on your farm? If so, how do you deal with them? I'm dealing with garlic mustard. Thankfully, we don't raise crops (just a garden) but even so, garlic mustard is a huge pain! I can't imagine dealing with it on a commercial scale.

 

[Petal to the Metal]

At least your garlic mustard is edible. Eh, just trying to look on the bright side. I have mint growing everywhere. I planted it, so I did it to myself, but I didn't realize just how quickly it would spread.

 

[RichZ]

Yeah, mint spreads like crazy. We use old livestock tanks as raised beds, and we only plant mint in the tanks so it won't spread.

 

[ChickensAndCows]

At least your garlic mustard is edible. Eh, just trying to look on the bright side. I have mint growing everywhere. I planted it, so I did it to myself, but I didn't realize just how quickly it would spread.

I think that my family will protest if we have garlic mustard for another meal! I've been looking into freezing it and sneaking it into sauces and soups. But there's so much of it, we couldn't possibly hope to eat it all.

 

[Henderson]

I'm not sure what it is, but I have some sort of invasive ivy growing around my wood fences. I hack it back several times a year, every year, but it just keeps coming back. If only my tomatoes were that determined to flourish.

 

[Gordyg]

Interesting, garlic mustard. I think I would like that. We have some crazy flowering vine growing in our flower beds. I pull it out every year but it keeps coming back.

 

[ChickensAndCows]

I'm not sure what it is, but I have some sort of invasive ivy growing around my wood fences. I hack it back several times a year, every year, but it just keeps coming back. If only my tomatoes were that determined to flourish.

That exactly how I feel about my watermelon! It would be great if the plants we want to grow would actually grow. My current management method is pulling out garlic mustard and feeding it to our pigs. They haven't gotten sick of it yet (unlike my family!)