Edible Landscaping... Organic & Sharing the bounty

Category: Gardening for Food | Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:23 am

Each year, I add more edible landscape items to our property. I am all organic. With this, I have to share with others who call our place their home: animals.

I have found that some years are better or worse than others. two years ago, the catbirds enjoyed my black-caps to the point of my daughter getting less. Other than that, a squirrel ate our first alpine strawberry or two (the only ones that got to grow that first-year-planting). Bunnies have enjoyed the first bean leaves. I have to put my foot down there. All I did was set the next bean patch in a high traffic area and that was it. The skunk digs up the grubs, so frankly, he works here! One year, I planted peas very early. The sparrows dine on the leaves until spring finally arrived and there were other greens to munch. As soon as they left the peas alone, the peas grew and produced as usual.

Otherwise, it has not been bad. I do not mind the animals helping themselves. We do feed the birds, and I do plant things for them. They give us hours of pleasure and are educational.

I do not appreciate the bugs the same way. I must admit there too, the damage has not been bad. I got a bad squash bug infestation, but luckily, my summer squashes were pretty much done anyway. I brought my hens out and set them upon the bugs, and, well, they work here too.

I have had bean beetles, but got plenty of beans. I had potato beetle arrive at the potato patch, but they were so easy to pick off and fling to the chickens. I cannot complain.

This one is just a rambling. I like being organic here--even if I have to share.

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eileen wrote on Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:59 pm:

Oh and so do I!! I've been an organic gardener here in Scotland for more than twenty years now and wouldn't garden any other way. Over the years the balance of nature has taken over and I have very little damage from any type of wildlife - including bugs.

So nice to hear of someone else who loves the 'natural' way of gardening.