Mallow Madness

When I first moved to Colorado, not only was I a true gardening novice, but I was also challenged with a whole host of new weed varieties. One little cutie looked just like my childhood favorite Morning Glory (the much-hated bindweed), while another looked truly like a miniature wild geranium both in leaf and bloom: mallow. Years later, I know that mallow is one of the first weeds to green up in the spring and that its massive tap-root makes it a real garden pest, especially in my well-irrigated fertile vegetable garden beds. On Wednesday I pulled a mallow with a taproot easily 18 inches long. Gabriel thought it was so cool that he ran straight to Matt’s den window to show him . Today, while the weather was still warm and the last of the melting snow kept the beds moist enough to make pulling weeds a snap, I pulled two five-gallon buckets full of mallow out of my vegetable beds and wildflower garden. Matt had to help with a couple of really big ones, but for the most part, the beds are now weed-free. At least until next weekend…