In the spring and early summer, when my garden plants are still young and barely popping out of the soil, it’s hard to distinguish between the plants and the weeds.

I was just out in the garden weeding the other day when I thought “this is an art.” Like a sculptor who simply removes anything that is not the sculpture, I am removing anything that is not the intended plant.

Now I’ve been planting vegetable gardens since I was a kid with my mom, so I know what the seedlings look like with most of the things I plant. Pumpkins, squash, sunflowers and cucumbers all start with those two big round leaves. Corn looks like thick grass until it’s a few inches tall. Beans and peas pop through fairly quickly, with a curled stem and some prominent leaves. Carrots are slow, but come as little hairs in

See Full Page