On My Homestead Hand-Pulled, Seed-Saved
My Approach to Pasture Weeds
If you’ve ever walked an old pasture or a field edge here in Tennessee, chances are you’ve seen tall feathery green stems waving in the breeze — that’s Dog Fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium).
It looks soft and inviting, almost like dill or fennel — but don’t let that fool you. On a farm like mine, Dog Fennel is one of the plants I actively manage because it offers no benefit to my livestock, my soils, or my pasture systems. Worse — it’s not even useful as a medicinal plant or a bee forage here on my land. It takes up space where I’d rather have plants that actively contribute to the health of the land and animals.
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) is another plant that thrives in this area. While beautiful and valuable for pollinators in certain contexts, I have several aggressive varieties on my land. Without careful management, Goldenrod would consume large sections of pasture and crowd out the plant diversity I work to maintain.
How I Manage It
Because I do not use chemicals on my farm — I focus on Korean Natural Farming, Indigenous Microorganisms, rotational grazing, and other soil-friendly systems — I use hand removal.
Yes, it takes some time.
But it works.
When I walk my fields, I’m looking for two main plants that I actively manage:
Dog Fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium)
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Both of these plants can dominate areas of the pasture, but neither provides the year-round forage or soil-building benefits I’m looking for in a regenerative system.
I pull both plants by hand, especially before they go to seed. Over several seasons, I’ve found this is the most effective way to reduce their presence while protecting my beneficial pasture plants.
What I Plant Instead
I don’t just remove Dog Fennel and Goldenrod — I work to fill the space they leave behind with plants that offer value:
- Plantain (Plantago spp.) — Deep roots, excellent forage, medicinal, soil builder
- Violets (Viola spp.) — Spreading ground cover, pollinator-friendly
- Short pasture grasses — Soil-holding, grazing-friendly
- Clover (Trifolium spp.) — Nitrogen fixer, great forage, outcompetes weeds
Over time, as these preferred plants mature and thrive, I also harvest seed from them — especially clover, plantain, and native grasses — and spread that seed to new areas of the farm.
This slow, intentional expansion helps build a more resilient pasture system, one that naturally resists invasive plants and supports soil health and livestock nutrition across the whole farm.
My Goal
My goal is simple:
A living pasture that feeds my animals, supports my soil, and keeps invasive weeds at bay — naturally.
By walking the fields, pulling Dog Fennel and Goldenrod, and planting intentional companions, I’m seeing healthier soil, more diverse plant life, and fewer problems with invasive plants each year.
As part of this long-term approach, I also harvest seed from my most successful ground covers — especially clover, plantain, violets, and grasses — and spread that seed into areas that are ready to transition. Over time, this helps me build a self-sustaining ground cover system that can hold its own across more and more of the farm.
It’s a slow, steady process — but one that matches the rhythm of the land. And each season, I see more progress.
If you’d like to learn more about how I manage pasture plants naturally, or about Korean Natural Farming techniques that support these systems, stay tuned — I’ll be sharing more in upcoming posts.
Do you manage pasture weeds naturally? I’d love to hear what works on your land — share your stories in the comments below!
Stories in the Dirt is where I keep track of what’s working — and what the land is teaching me, year by year.
