Hi all. I have quite a lot of hairy bittercress in my garden. I think it rode in on the compost I got this year. Ive been removing it from directly around my pea plants but in the open spaces of the garden where its really taken off, Ive surrendered and let it be.
My question is this: Should I be removing it or should I leave it as a kind of live mulch. It doesnt appear to be hindering my peas or other plants in that bed but if it will do long term damage to the soil Id rather take care of it now.
Anyone have any experience with it. Is it worth the effort of removing or do I just let it be?
Thanks!
I don’t have any experience with it myself but a quick Google suggests it’s edible: https://www.wildedible.com/bittercress
Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is a really unfortunate name for a wonderfully tasty edible weed that is perfect for foraging. It’s a wild mustard, so its bitterness is more spicy-hot than bitter, though it’s not nearly as hot as some other members of the Brassicaceae family. A more appropriate name would be Not-so-hairy and pleasantly-mild spicycress. Like all brassicas, Hairy bittercress is an excellent natural source of vitamin C. Its flavor profile is similar to watercress but bittercress is more readily available. It makes an excellent substitute for micro-greens. Use Hairy bittercress as a main salad green, garnish, or in a sandwich. The roots are also edible and can be blended with vinegar to make a sauce or dip that’s similar to horseradish.
I presume you’ve tried to eat it but dislike the flavour?
That page says it can be invasive and best to harvest it by removing the whole plant, so I guess if you don’t like the taste probably best to remove it before it becomes too established. But if you like the flavour I guess it won’t be a problem dealing with it!
Having said that most weeds don’t do damage to soil but rather their appearance is a sign of disturbance, and weeds will grow until the soil improves and other plants become established. So if it’s not causing you any problems it’s probably doing the soil some good having it growing.
Thanks for the info. I had not actually tried to eat it for some reason, even though I know it is edible. I guess I got so focused on it as a mulch. It seems to be dying off, as it does here in late summer so I will try it next year. In any case, I decided to leave it in.
This particular garden bed used to be a flower bed with very poor soil, so it isnt a surprise. Ive been working on imporving the soil quality and growing food in it instead. This is my first year of it though, so its a learning curve.
