…and bees and bears and you and me.
What on earth are you doing? You might ask this question, out loud or otherwise, if you walked into my backyard. And with good reason. Next to many of my neighborhood’s manicured lawns of green grass, vibrant flower beds, and perfectly shaped well-pruned shrubs my little plot does appear to be a mess. But these grounds are thriving, not just what you can see, but what you can’t. The Camden Longhouse gardens are a haven for birds, bees, worms, and wildlife.
It is easy and fun to convert lawns, or even just a bed or two, into diverse, pollinator and wildlife-friendly gardens. Here are some of the methods I’m working with.
The back-left section of the lawn is so overgrown with weeds that removal would require strong machete-wielding individuals or the use of large-wheeled yellow machinery I can’t name. This undisturbed area encourages a diverse population of wildlife. I like to think of it as my mini-nature preserve.
Two large piles of pruned willowy tree limbs that are stationed on the east and west sides of the back lot provide fodder for the fire pit. The ashes are spread in the garden plots, and what isn’t burned, ultimately breaks down into rich, black soil.
The Northeast Raised Beds are filled with rotting tree limbs, poo-filled rabbit bedding, and produce leftovers. These beds-in-the-making divert household waste from landfills while building rich garden plots.
A stand of tree trunk sections and a pile of mulch as high as my head provide evidence of the old trees we were sadly required to fell. I keep the remains. The trunks provide a future resource of natural fertilizer and the mulch is a fantastic resource for landscaping and soil maintenance.
Ant beds dot the property, and wasps have taken up residence here and there. Both are great assistants for healthy grounds. Ants aerate the soil with their tunneling and wasps keep caterpillars in check. I mostly work around them, but gently persuade their relocation if the need arises.
Offers for trash removal, stump grinding, leaf pickup, and friendly suggestions for products that can solve all my “problems” are plentiful. Happily, no HOA governs my behavior but I keep my wilding slow and subtle.
Nature – she’s got this
In nature, fertility is readily available and self-maintained. Forest denizens derive nutrition from the plants and animals they consume, the gift of great Mother Earth. For a thank you, decomposition of scat, leaves, dead plant life, and carcasses returns the nutrition consumed.
With our current agricultural practices, the processes that naturally give and take in equal measure are largely ignored. As a species, we charge ahead on maximum consumption and spare little effort, if any, on payback. Our kitchen waste goes neatly away, and lawn refuse is conveniently carted off. Lacking oxygen needed for proper decomposition in landfills, these materials are rendered into methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Meanwhile, we buy products, many of them extremely bad for the environment, to enable our dying soil to produce brilliant green grass.
Network for wildlife – we can do this
To mitigate Earth’s environmental decline, we of course must take action and stand up to the devastating practices of industrial agriculture. But while we wait for corporations to do the right thing, willingly or otherwise, we can each do a small part. We need wildlife, all of it, from our grand trees stretching skyward to the tiny wiggly creatures in our dirt that make us say ew! Together, we can create a web of earth-friendly lawns, one backyard at a time.
What on earth are you doing?
When I get discouraged surveying this big, seemingly unkempt mess of a lawn I tend, I sometimes might also wonder, “Jean Marie, what on earth are you doing?” But then I remind myself of how far we have come.
My near to self-sufficient Kitchen Garden, brought to fruition utilizing the no-dig sheet mulching technique, gives me hope. This method saves your back while the slugs, worms, pill bugs and fungi do the work for you. But patience is required
Now approaching its fourth year, by adding bunny hay and kitchen waste here and there, leaving garden roots to decompose in place, and annually topping with mulch, the plot provides me with fertile soil and happy plants. Here, the give-and-take proceeds as designed. Both the wild triangle in the back yard, and the companion plantings that mimic naturally-occurring polycultures encourage a diverse and healthy population of flora and fauna and leaves nature in all her brilliance to thrive. No commercial fertilizers or pesticides needed, thank you.
The uber-manicured lawns of my neighborhood no longer appeal to me. I know the harm caused by traditional methods employed in keeping up this version of suburban perfection. I am proud of my “mess” of a yard and all its inhabitants.