Wise Age Gardening

We’ve learned to eat better for our health, exercise more for our health and we’ve become more cautious of our environment for our health, so why are we neglecting our gardens? In times of trouble, sorrow and stress, our lives get taxed to the limit so our lifestyle needs to be audited. To correct this imbalance, we need to plant and eat pure, organic foods and patrol the planet to keep it safe from harmful invaders such as chemicals, toxins and waste. We are what we eat!

Caring for our gardens should be as important as caring for our bodies. Begin with the soil, the birthing place, it should be clean and free of debris, weeds and chemicals. It needs to be warm, planting before the soil reaches the right temperature will only delay or defeat the planting process.

Preparing the plot is a four season chore, by adding compost and mulch you are ensuring an organic atmosphere where micro-organisms can thrive to aid plants and the soil. Nutrients improve the pH balance leading to a healthy nursery for seeds and infant plants to grow. Mulch works like a blanket to keep plants warm and controls weeds, resulting in less watering and weeding.

Pests are always a problem in any garden since we are planting their main menus, but an organic garden will naturally have fewer pests with little effort from wise choices.
Birds are a gardener’s friend and combat fighters against the battle of the bugs. Just by placing birdhouses and feeders close to the garden, you are inviting free pest control to move in and pig out! Birds can eat more than their weight in bugs daily. You can tempt many birds in by planting some of their favorites: chokecherry, cosmos, holly, sunflowers, coneflower, just to name a few. And don’t forget to have a drinking supply ready for them too, a happy bird gets thirsty and needs a bath!

Toads are another ally you should encourage to take up residence in your garden. By providing water and shelter, these hungry toads will help keep your garden bug free, naturally. And an easy way to coax them in is to supply a simple toad house, just take a clay pot turned upside down with a hole chipped on one side for an entrance, place in the earth just a little with a saucer for water close by.

Assassin bugs are also beneficial and should be spared to help the team with the fight. Ladybugs, tiger beetles, spiders and even yellow jackets all do their part to control the bad bugs that will only do damage to your plot. If we can learn to co-exist with the good guys, the bad guys will soon give up and move on.

The most important factor to a healthy, organic garden is NO chemicals! The use of pesticides, fertilizers and weed killers are not only killing the soil, but also contributing to the many illness and disease, including cancer. We are what we eat!
By planting in a wise way, we are replacing the bad with good and bringing back the correct balance of life. Treat your garden like your body; think twice before dumping harmful contents. Our bodies, our planet, both deserve a healthy life. Eat, grow and garden organically and be a wise age gardener who will make a difference!