If it hasn't been clear from my posts last year, pasture management is an ongoing chore around most farms! And since I didn't do a great job with preparation last spring, it is going to take me a bit longer to get the pasture just the way I want it.
I'm happy to say that the grass seed I planted is coming in great! It still isn't long enough to graze, but it will get there. There actually are spots that need to be mown!
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| View of the top of the pasture. |
There's one big chore left to work on though...ridding the pasture of burdock! Originally my plan was to pull them all up with a handy little dandelion picker tool, but after giving myself a nice blister on my hand, I decided that wasn't such a great idea.
Next I wanted to try another dandelion picker tool...this one you use while standing up, which is much easier on the knees and hands! Unfortunately the burdocks have a longer root than dandelions so the tool just twists them, it doesn't actually pull them up.
Now I'm going to take a 2 prong approach...pulling up the biggest plants, and mowing the areas with lots of burdock. Hopefully between the two methods, I'll be able to make a dent in the population. It will get more serious when the burdock goes to seed, I just hope I'll be able to keep up with them!
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| My tool of choice. |
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| I've picked buckets and buckets of burdock in only a few days! |
I can't wait to see how the pasture looks at the end of the fall!
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| A burr-free area! |
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