Spring has sprung

I can tell when spring is here because my eyes begin itching and the insides of my ears (you know the part you aren’t supposed to touch) are begging for a bottle bush scrubbing. I also know because chickweed is growing lush in giant patches right where I don’t want it. Before you all get trigger happy (meaning getting your round up sprayer ready) and think you must eradicate it, here’s something to consider.

A weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place.

That said, it is a bit aggressive in its approach to life. It’s great at surviving. In fact, it’s quite good at lots of things. Chickweed can be tossed in salad IF you don’t have pets of any kind that might contaminate it and some might even call it a superfood. There are so many medicinal uses, you’d think it should be bottled and sold.

When I mentioned it was good at surviving, I meant it. This plant does something called “sleep of plants.” Every night the leaves fold over the tender buds and shoots, protecting them from the cold. Maybe this is why the plant seems completely unaffected by these freezing temperatures we are having.

Speaking of temperatures, we are in zone 6B which puts our last frost date around the second half of April. I’m using April 15 as my date because I am a very impatient farmer and have some tricks of the trade to protect plants if we get a late frost. Unless you want to use season extenders, you’ll need to wait a little bit longer to plant your garden. Or, you can pretend that you planted the chickweed on purpose and go harvest some for your dinner.

Chickweed Recipe

Medicinal tea: Use 1 Tbsp. dried herb (2 if fresh). Add 1 cup boiling water and steep for 10 min. Take in 1/2 cup doses two to four times daily, during a cold or flu. (I’d add a drop of stevia to mine.)

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Editor’s note: Mechel Wall is owner and operator of both The Cottage Flower Shop and Wallflower Farm. She can be contacted at blooms@wallflowerfarm.net.