Monthly Tip

Winter rains bring cheerful-looking plants whose heart-shaped leaves beguile gardeners into thinking they are simple weeds that are easy to pull. But beware. These plants are mallows (also called cheeseweeds) and underneath the innocent leaves of mature plants lie deep, thick, woody taproots that are hard to remove with garden tools. They even interfere with heavy farming machinery! Remove young plants with four or fewer true leaves right away. You can also add 3 inches of organic mulch to suppress seedlings.

For more information: Managing Mellows