I have been spending less time writing and blog-browsing, and more time getting dirt under my nails as I work in my garden.

One of the most troublesome weeds I have sparred with over the years is burdock. It has a thick, extensive root that is very difficult to extricate from the ground once the plant is established. However, I just learned that the root is edible, and, once soaked for 5 minutes or so, resembles shredded carrot.

Since I rarely run out of carrots in my 'fridge, I decided not to "harvest this plant and instead opted to use my fave frugal and earth-frindly gardening method for weed control: newspaper.

Just rake away any mulch, lay down sheets of newpaper over weed-prone areas (torn if needed to allow desired plants to pop through) and cover the paper with mulch/wood chips. Water can soak through to the ground but weeds have a tough time popping through.

I was able to control a nutsedge problem in the garden with this method, and I'm hoping for similar success with the blasted burr-releasing burdock.

Trivia: a Swiss inventor took his dog for a walk and was curious about the burrs that stuck to the dog's fur. He removed these burdock seed pods (cockleburs) from the fur, viewed under a microcope and marveled at the ingenious hook-and-loop design that nature provided for this plant's seed dispersal. Guess what he invented? Click here for the answer.