The
Denver Urban Homesteader's indoor farmer's market, which I blogged about
here, has grown quite a bit since it first opened. As you walk through the big wooden doors off the buckled sidewalk, a sweet coolness descends. Ahead of you are buckets of local fresh produce, fabulous pictures of chickens, and local milk, eggs, and ice cream. Turn to your right to browse the many fabulous, local vendors selling cheese, pasta, plants, produce, meats, honey, and more. Or take a left at the front door for another big room of vendors offering veggies, teas, and plants. In this west-side room there is also a big comfy couch, a chicken coop (sans chickens), a brewing area, and resource table.
The main vendor, just ahead as you walk in the front door, also offers agricultural vinegar, a natural and non-toxic weed killer (just don't drink it or put in on your salad!!). We got a spray bottle and tried it on the weeds threatening to take over our xeriscaped front garden. It works like a charm: you spray it at the top of the roots on a hot day, the plant sucks up the vinegar, and it dies. It even worked, albeit with some less success, on the
bindweed. You avoid the Round Up (which plants are showing to develop a resistance to!) and lessen the weeds. Agricultural vinegar can be hard to find as it's not regulated and therefore not sold in most nurseries. I found a great source for the weed killer in Denver!
By the way, I learned that bindweed grows in hard pan areas of low nitrogen content. So another way to beat the weeds is to fluff your soil and add organic matter high in nitrogen. After a while the bindweed will move on. An integrated system of improving the soil and natural vinegar weed killer is the best approach to rid your yard of invasive weeds.
The Farmer's Market is open Saturday from 1-2, and Wed, Thurs, and Fri from 1-6 at 200 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. We've had no problem finding street parking close by.
