Oh happy days! Summer has finally arrived with clear skies, hot days, blooming flowers, sprouting plants . . . and my annual case of poison oak. Two days ago I felt the tell-tale tenderness and itchiness on my right arm, which by the next morning appeared as a red and bumpy rash on my arms, jaw-line, chin, and neck; always the same places. A walk around the garden revealed a cute little patch right where I had been weedwacking. There are only two exceptions to our organic pesticide free garden, poison oak and blackberry bushes.
Unlike poison oak, which generally grows in small, easy to eliminate patches, blackberry bushes have proven to be a formidable and unconquerable nemesis. Countless hours have gone to cutting, pulling, poisoning (I have found a special place in my heart for round-up due to its blackberry fighting properties), and also yelling and calling names at this evil plant. In addition to poison oak, my arms currently bear many battle scars from my blackberry conquests. Maybe I should invest in a suit of armor? Mom suggests I wear long sleeves, but it gets so hot! And I find that clinging blackberries are harder to extract from sleeves than skin.
This summer I resigned myself to the fact that I would never fully eradicate the blackberries. My new battle plan is to stay ahead of the game and attack each small sprout that pops up before it grows into a behemoth. Once my poison oak subsides (until then, thank you Daniel Bovet for discovering antihistamines), I intend to sharpen my sheers and wage war again.
I have learned from Mr. Greenjeans that wearing long sleeves not only protects your arms but you are actually cooler. If you wear a tank underneath and a thin denim long sleeve your sweat will actually cool you down. Keep water nearby! In our Felton garden we set aside an area for blackberries. Some wire fencing can give them something to attach too and then you can bush whack after you pick. Most of them have such deep root systems from years of growing it would take a back hoe to dig them out. I admire your tenacity, they may have met their match. TECHNU works pretty good on poison oak. I HATE that stuff it makes me more nuts than I already am.
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