Page 1 of 1
who invented ground elder
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:11 pm
by jayne
i would like to meet the person who gave me a plant that had a small bit of ground elder in

any ideas how to clear a big garden of it!!!!as fast as i dig it out it returns behind me

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:30 pm
by ina
Have you tried eating it? Mind you, if you have a garden full of it, you'd need a large family with a particular liking of ground elder...
Goats love it, too. But you'll still have to pull it out yourself; if you left goats to do their own grazing, they'd eat everything else first.
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:34 pm
by jayne
no havent thought of eating it, ive got a big garden full of fruit and veg, so a goats out, i dont use chemicals, so i will have to keep chaseing it

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:09 pm
by Thurston Garden
If you find the man, I want to have a go at him after you.
I think the only way to get rid is to dig, and dig and dig - must get every wee bit of root out! The roots go along, not down. Not easy.....
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:36 pm
by MKG
Hmmmm ... ground elder ... ... just thinking about my Mum, who can be a royal pain in the arse sometimes ... not that I would ...
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:42 pm
by theabsinthefairy
Keep it to treat the back ache that you get trying to remove it - horrid stuff, and it harbours carrot fly beasties too.
From the general info :-
It was introduced to Britain from Continental Europe, possibly by the Romans, as a pot-herb and a medicine against rheumatism and gout.
Leaves can be boiled like spinach (as they still are in Scandinavia), or fresh young ones can be added to a salad - too much has a laxative effect.
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:52 pm
by ina
MKG wrote:Hmmmm ... ground elder ... ... just thinking about my Mum, who can be a royal pain in the arse sometimes ... not that I would ...
We won't tell!