Amy in the Garden

It is said that sailors always look up — they cast their eyes up to the top of the mast and the tops of the sails, to see if the tell-tales are flying, to learn the direction and strength of the wind. I’m married to a sailor. I’ve heard that one definition of marriage is that whatever one spouse is doing, the other is doing the opposite. So it is with us, because gardeners always look down.

We look for sprouts, we look at the earth to decide if it’s time to water or weed, we look for the shoulders of carrots and beets emerging. Is it time to eat yet?

But I have also been surprised to find myself looking up as well. The birds have been unexpected partners with me this year. My garden is filled with house wrens and Baltimore orioles, among others, feasting on insects. Robins have been stabbing at the earth, eating a few insects along the way as they hunt their true goal: the earthworm. I do not begrudge them any, as the robins earn their keep every day.

A friend commented that my plants looked so healthy, with no insect damage evident. I shared the philosophy of the organic gardener: that a healthy plant is the best defense against pests and climate challenges. But I also have to give enormous credit to the birds. I am so happy to partner with them.

Insect control, plus that joyous bubbling call of the wren. I could not ask for more.

WORDS FROM OTHERS

“…the emphasis in farming must be redirected toward practices that enhance the vitality of the crops rather than towards methods to destroy the pests. I believe that concept is key to understanding the processes of an ecological agriculture.”

— Eliot Coleman, “The New Organic Gardener”