What is a weed? It’s a question the philosophers have been pondering for centuries (and may have been Socrates last question before taking the hemlock). For many gardeners, weeds are the bane of their gardening experience. But if you can accept that your garden will never be magazine-cover worthy, some weeds can actually be very beneficial to your garden. Instead of weeding, you can read a book, dance a jig, and the weeds will help improve your soil without costly soil amendments, creating even less work for you.

But if you want to increase your cardio gardening workout (or stop getting invitations to neighborhood block parties), you don’t need to throw those pulled weeds in the trash. You can make nutritious meals, make beverages, hair rinses, home remedies, and even home-made fertilizers with many different weeds.

Learn more about the beneficial uses of weeds at our special Weed to Table program. Like our regular Seed to Table summer programs, we will have food demonstrations with edible weeds and take-home information that hopefully will help you make peace with all the plants in your garden.