Hey Everyone, I have this weed in all my flowerbeds/garden, do you know the name of it? It has shallow roots and is everywhere.. Thanx for the help, Anita
Smartweed really likes wet garden soil... maybe you could take advantage of its profligate growth by eating it... http://www.eattheweeds.com/smartweed-nature’s-pepper-and-pharmacy/
Majentas, I like that Eat the Weeds website. Thanks for posting the link. It has a lot of well-written, comprehensive articles, giving identification, time of year, locations, history, pronunciation, food preparation, medicinal uses.
The weedy Polygonum species are good indicators of fertile soil. Unfortunately, many weeds (including smartweeds) are opportunistic and tend to accumulate excess nitrate in their tissues. This is great for the plants (and for green manuring), but nitrate is poisonous for people and animals. I'm surprised that there isn't a warning on that particular blog.
