Question
Hi there,

I just moved into a new house and the landscaping sucks. I'm planning on ripping out the drab shubbery in the spring anyway and planting an edible garden/flower garden in its place. However last time I checked this vetch (purple flowers/viney leaves) has taken over the whole front yard, its climbed onto everything and is choking out the drab shubbery. Should I bother trying to weed it out now or just roto-till the whole lot under in the spring? I'm in toronto, ontario canada and frost is upon us.

Answer
The genus Vicia (Vetch) contains about 150 species, including 15 that are native to the US & Canada; However, most species are native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe.

I'm pretty sure your weeds came from wind-borne seed, and now that next season's plants have been "seeded" all over your front yard, pulling out this year's crop won't help your situation. Vetch is NOT like crabgrass, which sends out runners and is a real pain to control, so ripping out the existing plants would be mostly for aesthetics at this point in time.

Spring rototilling is probably your best option...Just wait until the little buggers start to sprout, but BEFORE they put on flowers, or the whole cycle starts over again!   

I'd normally suggest a pre-emergent or weed-killer, but since you said you wanted to plant edibles in this spot, I would avoid the chemical solution.


~Marc