Jewelweed (also known as Touch-Me-Not) is an annual plant, but don’t let that fool you. Even though the individual plants die off every year, the weed problem usually sticks around because those pesky seeds scatter all over your garden. The secret to winning the battle? You’ve got to stop those seeds from ripening in the first place.
Pull ’em out early
The easiest way to handle Jewelweed is simply pulling it out by hand. Since it’s a shallow-rooted plant, you can usually yank the whole thing out—roots and all—without much trouble. This works best when the soil is a little damp. Just grab the plant firmly at the base of the stem and give it a good tug. If the invasion has already taken over a large area, you can also use a string trimmer or a lawnmower to get things back under control.
Keep clippings off the compost pile
No matter how you choose to remove the plants, whatever you do, don’t toss the pulled weeds or clippings onto your compost pile. There’s a huge risk they’ll just hitch a ride back into your garden beds later. To make sure the problem is gone for good, it’s better to bag them up and put them in your regular household trash.
Should you use herbicides?
I’d definitely recommend staying away from chemical weed killers for this one. Using herbicides comes with a bunch of headaches you just don’t want:
- You might accidentally kill your favorite neighboring plants.
- Chemicals can leach into the groundwater or nearby streams.
- It causes unnecessary damage to the local environment.
Did you know the seeds are edible?
One big reason people want Jewelweed out of their yard is that it’s technically considered a toxic plant. However, that toxicity is really only in the stems and leaves. Believe it or not, the flowers and seeds are actually edible! The blossoms have a lovely sweet flavor that can really level up a wild herb salad. The seeds are a treat, too—they have a mild, nutty taste that’s surprisingly delicious.
