Purslane is actually really tasty to eat in scrambled eggs or soup. It's a decent spinach replacement too. Leaves are tiny so it takes a bit of effort to harvest.<p>If you know you have it, break a bunch off, wash it in a bowl to clean it, and also to harvest the tiny black seeds - dump the water+seeds out where you want more.<p>It does literally grow like a weed, and it's pretty good for you, with a fair amount of ALA/EPA omega 3's for a plant and vitamin C.
I love the idea that all the plants we think-of as totally-normal-weeds could be (indeed, are) quite different across the world! Would love to be able to get a global sense of where the ones that I know well are distributed right now, and what other people are seeing when they walk-around (and it's rained a bit) instead! Anyone know of a good resource for anything like that?<p>Over in Adelaide, South Oz, an extremely common weed is 'Oxalis' (TIL: a type of 'Wood Sorrel'[1]) It's also called 'Sourgrass' or 'Sour-Sobs', colloquially around here. It seems to pop up nearly-anywhere-that-it-can and very quickly too once it's rained a bit at the start of winter. Also dies-off completely for a good chunk of the year and I think it has a bulb-like way (as well as its tiny seeds) of staying-there.<p>We also have bigger-than-garden-level problems (in the state) with stuff like Gorse, Broom, Blackberry (which seems especially invasive), Patterson's Curse, loads more! Heck even Nasturtium gets a pretty-good-go around here, though it's apparently not considered invasive yet [2].<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis</a><p>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropaeolum_majus" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropaeolum_majus</a>
Some of these weeds help the soil. They grow in areas where other plants can't grow. But I understand that if you are trying to grow specific plants, for food or aesthetics, you will need to remove the plants that will kill them (vines or fast growing weeds that take the sun cover). I think dandelions help move calcium to the top soil, and loosen hard soil, is an example of a weed that helps.<p>I am adding more areas to my yard where I put a small garden fence and let whatever grow (minus trees), which will be mostly weeds I presume. This will help the local bees and insects and birds. I think there is a movement to do more of this, but don't recall the name of it.<p>After we destroy a piece of land, its gonna be weeds that will bring it back to life.
I’m surprised and happy to see Greg posted here on HN. He’s my go to resource for all things SoCal gardening. I always look forward to his weekly newsletter and even have his calendar which I use to keep track of when I fertilize and do other major tasks.<p>If you’re in our usda zone he’s worth a follow.
Maybe I'm wrong, but that "spurge" he identifies looks like knotweed to me.<p>Edit: did some research, looks like he's right. Difference between the two is alternating leaves instead of side by side, and spurge has a milky sap. But otherwise appear the same
I find this topic remarkable but typically unremarked upon. When I see a bit of scraggly grass persisting out from a crack in the hot California road in July, I'm amazed at its tenacity.