Some Thoughts on Weeding

I weed every morning for at least 30 minutes if not an hour or so before Franchesco comes to give me specific instructions. Tired of the music on my ipod, I now listen to the birds as I weed and I think a lot about farming, food, life etc. It's the third week of morning weeding and I have begun to question its practice. We are told to take out weeds but I have begun to wonder if it is actually for the crop's benefit or if it is for piece of mind or some sense of control.

When you weed, you allow the crop you planted to have more water and more of the soil nutrients. Yes you arrate the soil, lossening it up for the roots of another plant that you hope will soon provide you with food. But is weeding maybe harming the soil and therfore not the best for the crops? If you take the weed out, you are taking out a plant that has nutrients in it that it took from the ground and you are therefore taking nutrients out of the soil (just like it would be with any plant that is taken out of the soil, whether it is a "weed" or not). I think it would be best to take out the weeds that are crowding out the crops, and put them on top of the soil, acting as a mulch, both decreasing future weeds as well as evaporation. The weeds would then slowly break down and put their nutrients back in the soil. The weeds that are not near the crops I feel should be left alone because taking them out seems unnecessary. However, this also brings up a larger quesiton about "weeds" (plants that you did not plant and you do not want in that spot--did you know that lots plants people concider weeds are actually edible: dandylion is a prime example) and their regeneration. When you pull them out of the soil along with their roots, is it highly likely that if you put the on top of the soil as a mulch that they will "regenerate"? If you use grass clippings as mulch will you soon have grass growing where you mulched?

Anyone have any thoughts?

Do we weed because if we don't, it will reflect badly on us as gardeners (like having a messy bedroom that's on display)? Do we do it because it is human versus "nature" (though we are just as much a product of nature as the tress and the turkeys) and if we allow weeds in the garden that is a product of the human, then we are letting nature "win"? Do we do it because we think it's good for the soil and our plants or do we do it because we can't allow something to grow in an area that is supposed to be under our control?

Pictures

I thought I would put up some photos that I have taken so far (and were able to upload sucessfully)

The photo above is me planting "Three Sisters". Below are apricots still warm from the sun : )

June 21

I began the day with my morning meditation of weeding and then Franchesco said we were going to plant pumpkins, corn and various flower species. He had somewhat of an idea of how he wanted to plant them but I mentioned the "Three Sisters" technique of planting squash, corn and beans together in a mound and their symbiotic relationship: thebeans grow up the corn and the squash shades the corn, decreasing weeds and deterring pests because of their pokey leaves. He thought it was pretty cool and gave me free reign over planting them. We also planted shallots and lots of flowers. Then we plotted out the garden on large sheet of paper, the data of which will be put on the computer so he can plan next season's crop rotation.

For snack I foraged some apricots that had fallen from the tree, still warm from the sun : )

It is the Fete de la Musique in France, falling on the 1st day of summer. Bands come and play free shows and people are free to bring their instruments and play in the streets. Apparently when it began 30 years ago it was a really cool thing but the music has become worse and people get more and more drunk every year when they go out. I went with two guys who rent rooms here and we drove down. The town was full of people, young and old. The main band was this punk band for a while, which was really bad. Then we decided to walk around a bit. We heard drummers, a really good group playing American and French rock, which was great. Then the Hush Puppies played. Apparently they are very well known, though I have never heard of them. At 1am we headed home.

June 20

I caught the TGV and headed to Aix en Provence to start my new internship. Franchesco picked me up at the station, we drove to the farm, had an Ethiopan luch and I began with planting lettuce and weeding the gardens.

It is extrodinarily beautiful here! I will have to upload some pictures.

Before dinner I went out to meet the other students that rent rooms. I went and introduced myself. They were playing UNO and invited me to join in. They are as we say in france "super syampa", meaning "really nice people". I get to practice my rusty french slang and talk to people my age. C'est bonne ca.

June 19

This morning I got up, bought bread and croissants and a pain au raisin for la fete de peres (father's day) and a french for me to read through during breakfast. Around 12, Anna, Helene and I went to La Fete de Cerise, which has been going on for the last two days. I didn't quite know what it was, but I was happy to tag along. It wasn't about cherries at all, as the name states but is just a big flee market of sorts. I have very little clothing and the clothing I have is for Cameroon and it covers the majority of my body. I thought it might be a good idea to get a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. So for one euro a piece I got one shirt and a pair of shorts as well as a bathing suit and a light jacket for 2.50 euro each.

June 18

I went to the outdoor market in Collombes. I went shopping for Anna and enjoyed the surroundings. There is pretty much nothing I like more than outdoor markets. I watched the people, listened in on their French conversations. One woman was shocked when she found out her son had eaten all the chocolate and she asked him what he was planning on doing when he wasn't hungry for lunch but was then hugry at snack time and there would be no chocolate. He thought the best answer was to purchase more chocolate and that everything would be fine. The mother was not amused.

Then I came back and received a call from Molly, the woman on the farm in Provence. We talked about my internship, what I would be doing on the farm etc. I would work there for room and board so all I would need to do would be to take the TGV. I am waiting to hear back from an NGO that might have a research project for me regarding sustainable agriculture but if they do not respond by Monday, I will head down to Provence on Tuesday morning and do a project on organic agro-tourism and help with a community garden. I will help them with their vegetable garden, with their chickens, sheep and bees. I am incredibly exicted!

June 17

I got a new list together and planned on going out again and looking for an internship but I couldn't seem to make myself go. Morning turned to 11, then to lunch time. At 1 or 2 I turned on the computer and had two e-mails, one from an NGO that is two hours from Paris, asking for more information on my internship and one from a family friend who has contacts in Aix de Provence who has an organic farm, plenty of work and an extra room! I e-mailed them back and waited for replies.

After dinner I hadn't heard anything new. Helene, my cousin and I went to an outdoor art market. There were some people playing jazz and we walked around and looked at the paintings of all types. I learned two new words: smooth and rough--lisse et rougue (not sure how to spell them, just know how to pronounce them). Then we hung out with Helene's friend, talked about the way words sound and what that does to their meaning and ate nutella with french bread. It was a very French evening of sorts.