triage: where to start?

I have bindweed, English ivy, thistles, mile-a-minute weed, wisteria, trumpet vine, poison ivy, and wild morning glories. (Those are just the biggies; I have smaller annoying invasives too, assorted grasses, wild onions, etc) There are days when I think maybe I should just move.

Seriously, though, we've made poison ivy job #1 because a family member has such a severe reaction to it, and there's been a significant reduction in that. But I need to figure out priorities for the others. The first area of attack is wherever the invasives threaten food crops or the actual house (the trumpet vine seems to have designs on the wood siding). Other than self-defense, though, which of these nasties would you start with? The thistle beause the seeds spread so easily? I figure I ought to concentrate on eradicating one thing at a time, or this will never end.

Other details: five acres, organic, two acres in a market garden, two in tall bearded iris. So nearly all spots are cultivated. For whatever reason, I assume the intense rains this year, I'm not keeping up as well as usual. I'm at the point where I'm ready to hire someone part time for the rest of the season, and I figure I can put that person on invasive-control for a few hours a week. Which monster should we slay first?

katie

Unless you're using different chemicals to treat different plants (which I doubt since you mentioned you're organic), I personally prefer clearing one bed or area of all weeds at once, rather than revisit it with multiple passes for different plants. JMHO :o)