Bare dirt is a strange fetish.  It’s desire for control, for neatness, for simplicity, and only having to deal with what we know.  I propose we change the paradigm to embrace the complexity of a healthy living ecosystem, a “messy” garden, the wild.

I think you should not pull a weed unless you know the weed and have a good reason to.  Now with some weeds we are just in full on “back, back”.  Here in the PNW, take morning glory or creeping buttercup or often Himalayan Blackberry.  But other weeds are not so much trouble and can be tolerated.  And really until you know what something is, and have a reason, I don’t think, killing it is the right reaction. Weeds, Spiders, People.  Not knowing and understanding can call us to knowing and understanding rather than fearing and ignorance.  Maybe you can eat it. Maybe it will die back in a month and a half on its own.  Maybe it is drawing up nutrients, fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere or holding moisture and soil.

What amazing plant has chosen to be in your life?  What plants like growing in the conditions in your garden.  Can you eat it? Most weeds are more nutritious than crops.

So hey, if a plant is really in the way of something you want to grow, work it out, maybe it has to go. But until you are ready to put something else there, leave it be. It is protecting and nourishing your soil. Bare dirt absorbs heat and bakes the life of the soil in hot sun. Water evaporates and life retreats.

I have often heard that the argument for weeding to bare dirt, is that we can’t let the weeds go to seed.  But bare dirt will always have weed seed and something will grow in it when the conditions are right. You can’t get rid of weeds by getting rid of seeds any more than you can get rid of sickness by getting rid of germs.  It is the wrong paradigm. We will lose in this battle of trying to kill everything as a solution. We must now recognize our place in the web of life and strive for healthy, diverse ecosystems for our health and well being.

Therefore as farmers and gardeners it is wiser to choose which weeds you want to live with.
Lambsquarters, Chickweed, Dandelion, Purslane, Amaranth Pigweed, Oxalis, Mallow, Sow Thistle, Clovers, Plantain, and Borage are all edible and fairly removable.  When do weeds need to be brought down and when can they co-exist?  Can perennial polycultures without tilling lead to less weeding?

And when you do weed, leave the weeds as mulch to protect and nourish the soil from where it came. Mulching and composting on site.

“Bare Breasts Not Dirt”