Now that you have all that pigweed under control, it’s time to consider two other weeds common to the garden.

Morning glory is a small trailing vine that looks deceptively frail and tender, but will quickly overrun your vegetables.

Pulling it up does little good. The white, flimsy, spaghetti-like roots will simply snap off, then regenerate the entire plant.

Use a garden fork and

drive it all the way down to hardpan to pry out the deep roots.

The vertical roots rise out of a horizontal, brownish root with side branches that runs deep below the frost line and may give rise to several vines on the surface if not completely eradicated.

Purslane is a succulent that grows prostrate to the ground. It has rounded, fleshy leaves.

Wild purslane is edible, and

many people enjoy adding it to their salads, which begs the question: Is it truly a weed?

If you find purslane

growing in your plot, consider corralling some of it for salads. Eradicate the rest or it will grow like wildfire and quickly become a nuisance.

Winter Garden Under Way About 30 people attended the

winter gardening workshop taught by Mike Edera on July 11 at Forest Grove Community Gardens.

Mike brought vegetable starts of some of his favorite winter crops, including Scotch and Tuscan kale and radicchio, which he says are best sowed as starts rather than seed.

Workshop participants sowed five flats of seed, including cabbage, broccoli and turnips.

Mike’s tips for lettuce include:• Seed leaf lettuce in flats in

August.• Protect seedlings from summer

sun with some shade.• Cover mature plants before

heavy autumn rains damage them.A winter gardener’s guide

based on Mike’s workshop is being prepared and will be available to gardeners when complete. It also will be posted online.

Visit plot B2 to monitor the winter garden’s progress.

Community Gardens thanks Mike for his expertise and workshop participants for their enthusiasm.

Forest Grove Community Gardens News July 2009/Vol. 1, No. 2

Garden Stewardship for All Forest Grove Community Gardens

is a work in progress, and its operation requires the work of volunteers. Even if you have only half an hour a week to donate, the garden can use your help.

There are watering needs for the Oregon Food Bank plots, the winter garden test plot, the free plot, the corn and pumpkin patch, and the flower beds.

Weed cleanup and edge trimming are other tasks for volunteers.

If you want to participate in garden stewardship, attend a Planning Committee meeting Thursdays at the garden at 7 p.m. or call (503) 357-4577.

Beat the Heat With MulchMulching your plants is a good way to

conserve water and protect your crop.A layer of mulch around vegetable

plants will help prevent moisture from evaporating quickly—requiring fewer waterings—and will insulate plant roots. Mulching also keeps weeds at bay.

Good sources of mulch include leaves, bark dust, hay, shredded newspaper and black plastic.

Mike Edera plants starts inside the frame of a high tunnel during his winter gardening workshop.

Up Close and Personal With Weeds: Morning Glory and Purslane

Morning glory Purslane