I’ve got a pretty good population of weeds in my backyard garden. I’ve been trying to identify them so I would know how best to attack them. (My garden is strictly organic, so chemical answers are not an option.) This month’s Sunset has a lengthy article on common garden weeds along with some solutions to the problem. Unfortunately, the pictures are drawings rather than photos, which makes identification a little more difficult.

This database from Michigan State University Extension, has an invaluable set of weed identification keys, along with actual photos of the weeds themselves at various points in their growth.

This pretty little plant, purslane, is growing like crazy in my strawberry patch. Unfortunately, it wants to grow OVER the berries, thus sticking them to the ground where they’re eaten by bugs. So it’s got to go!

The whole Michican State University Extension web site is a treasure trove of useful gardening information.