This spring, this plant is running rampant where I want to plant veggies. I didn't plant it. It reminds me of stawberry, but I don't think it is. Anybody know for sure? Waz
Sure looks like a strawberry to me! Of course, it could also be Potentilla or Duchesnea, but it's much more likely to be a strawberry, really.
Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens). "Occurs on very moist to wet, nitrogen-rich soils... A widespread weed in non-forested, early-seral communities on disturbed water-receiving and water-collecting sites; most frequent on exposed mineral soil along streams. Tolerates flooding and fluctuating groundwater tables..." -- Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (1989, UBC Press, Vancouver)
Buttercup, yes, of course. I saw these around last year just don't remember them in that part of the garden. Guess it just crept its way in huh? Thanks
Note soil conditions presence of buttercup indicates when selecting vegetables for the area. You may wish to add a layer of better-draining soil and plant above the existing soil rather than trying to make use of existing soil. On the one hand it will be expected to have high nitrogen levels, on the other it will be likely to be cold, damp and heavy. A portion of my garden where there is a solid patch of creeping buttercup marks where I once attempted to make a pond and brought some clay-like subsoil to the surface. This "exposed mineral soil" is what the buttercup is thriving in.
