Oops! I Planted Weeds…
You can’t always plant what you want… But if you try sometimes, you might find, you’ve grown a bunch of weeds.
It all began in spring with a trip to the local feed store. This feed store has been around since the turn of the century and has not seen a broom or a mop since I’ve been alive. While it’s lacking a website and the customer service is brusque, the store has managed to survive countless recessions and a pandemic.
It’s exactly how you’d picture an old shop in your mind.
At the top of the door, there’s a bell that rings with each entrance and exit. The floorboards creek with every step and the place has a lingering dusty haze. Glass jars that line cabinet shelves hold seeds that can be purchased by the ounce or pound.
The weathered storekeeper eyes you, waiting for you to tell him what you need. You list off your desired seeds like he’s Santa and this is your Christmas wish list. Then he shovels out the seeds with an old tin scoop into a packet and with a ballpoint pen, he sloppily writes a label.
Pros: the seeds are inexpensive and I am supporting local business. Cons: sometimes I have no idea what I am getting. Such was the case for the wildflower seeds…
There sat the glimmering jar of wildflower seeds.
Dare I? I pondered. The label on the jar had aged, but the flowers on the picture looked like a sepia kaleidoscope of color. I couldn’t resist.
Flash forward and I am standing over my newly established flower bed borders. Tearing up the sod took ages, not to mention the effort it took to make the clay soil workable. Finally, it’s time to sow.
Mixed with a bit of sand, I broadcast the seeds so that they would cover the entirety of the borders. I watered the beds and called it a day. The next day I left for my trip. I was out of town for a few weeks.
When I returned, I was eager to see the progress. The only thing slower than waiting for a pot to boil or for paint to dry is watching the plants grow.
Many little shoots of growth had come up from mostly of the same kind of plant. I tried but couldn’t identify the leaves of these new baby plants. Oh well! I figured they would grow into beautiful wildflowers eventually.
Time passed and I still could not identify them. Bigger and bigger they grew. My unwavering optimism had me convinced that they were wildflowers. But as they spread to shadow out my other plants, the realization finally came to me.
I planted weeds!
Dammit. How could the seeds from the feed store betray me? What went so wrong? And trust me when I tell you there was not a single wildflower, I mean that there was not a single wildflower seed that grew.
Earlier in the season, I had planted marigolds by the mailbox. I put down plenty of seeds and none came up. With binoculars and vigilance, I discovered to my dismay that the robins had a different plan for my marigold seeds.
Maybe the feed store wasn’t entirely to blame. Perhaps there was some avian interference that I had not considered.
The flowers on the plants were too small to justify the amount of space that they took up. I decided they needed to go. So, with a heavy heart, I yanked most of the weeds out of my flower beds to make room for the flowers that had already been planted.
So what did I learn from this?
For starters, I learned that wildflower seeds from a feed store may not always yield desirable results. While I still trust the store to give me prime vegetable seeds, I’ll have to choose my flower seed source more wisely.
I also learned that the robins are out to get me. Maybe they aren’t spiteful, just voracious. I mean seriously, why can’t they eat the caterpillars and Japanese beetles instead? I digress. Next year, I’ll just put a layer of soil over my seeds so that the birds can’t get to them as easily.
I had a revelation that having some weeds in the garden isn’t the end of the world. They can provide cover for bugs and be a benefit for pollinators. And if they are pretty, they may just be worth keeping!
Do I regret what happened? No, not really. The roots of the weeds helped the soil by breaking down the clay a bit more and by adding nutrients. Plus, it’s nice to remind the neighbors how feral I can let things get. Who says gardeners can’t be a little rebellious?
So if you’ve grown weeds in you garden, remember they are a rite of passage and maybe even a badge of honor. There’s no shame in having some weeds here and there. Whatever you end up growing, be sure that it gives you a healthy challenge and brings you that certain kind of joy that only a gardener can feel!
