Beware the Garlic Mustard!!!

Such an innocuous looking little plant isn't it?

What is it?
Truth is, it's a deadly invader. It's called Garlic Mustard, and it was brought over from Europe when North America was colonized. It was grown as a herb by settlers, but quickly naturalized and started spreading. It's a bi-annual, meaning it sprouts and grows one year, then flowers the next before dying. It's roots kill native good bacteria in the soil that native plants need to survive. The leaves shade and choke out native plants like Trilliums, and even baby trees. They spread like wildfire, creating thousands of seeds that are viable up to FIVE YEARS after the parent plant is gone. Native animals do NOT eat it, at all! You CANNOT compost it once it's flowered because it will go to seed even after being pulled from the ground, and the heat of the compost pile will not destroy the viability of the seeds.

How can you tell if the weed in the garden is Garlic Mustard?
The leaves are very distinct, and it has a slight garlic smell when you crush a leaf between your fingers. Here's a good youtube video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSYZA979odU

So what can you do?
Pull it out in early spring before it bolts, then:

A)Eat it yourself.
B)Burn it. (Though I have heard it can make the smoke smell nasty.)
C)Feed it to your Chickens! (I have friends who's chickens love the stuff!)

Just get rid of it! Before it turns your garden/property/land, into a wasteland lacking bio-diversity....