I was just thinking about spring, but then I realized I should just live in the moment and be thankful that I do not have to battle so many weeds time of the year! Spring and cool season weeds will be here soon enough. In fact, it seems like some of them never even disappeared from last fall despite the deep freeze! The most common cool-season annual and perennial weeds are beginning to germinate and grow as our soils warm a bit, it is amazing how quickly it can happen as our days get longer and the sun shines more frequently.

Weeds are only problematic because we somehow deemed them so; I now see every forage and blade of grass as food for sheep and, as such, the last thing I would want is a chemical combatant in the picture. I have largely embraced a mixed forage in lawn and pasture and just try to keep perennial beds and paths looking less weedy. One way to do this is to actively use pre-emergent herbicides formulated from corn gluten so you can avoid using synthetic chemicals in your environment. And maybe some meditation on the usefulness of all plant species.

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