Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Kvetching about vetch.

No, I haven't determined that I will blog in Yiddish from now on. It's just that there is so much common vetch, (Vicia sativa), growing around here this year that I'm a little overwhelmed. It's everywhere, even Vinomaker has commented on it. The past couple of weeks I have been concentrating on the vineyard and the landscaping has suffered a little. The vetch has intertwined itself with our shrubbery and every other vertical foothold it can find...it's a good job the Vinodogs don't stay still for long. There are worse weeds out there, of course. Vetch is a legume and so is capable of nitrogen fixation. They also have a stipular extrafloral nectary site that ladybirds just love. And our neighbours' horses love it too.
So just like triffids, the benefits of vetch outweigh, in this case, the back ache it will take to remove it.

1 comment:

Vinomaker said...

I have never seen so much vetch as this year has produced. We have some other weeds that are just as prolific but much less beneficial, so I am pleased with this year's crop. Vinogirl has been clear that we will not be removing it from the garden until all of the nitrogen fixation has occurred. That is as good an excuse for not weeding as any so I will just go rack (and drink) some wine.