Gardening is one of those things that can quickly go from the joy of the first harvest to the nightmare of cabbage worms and weeds in a relatively short period of time. My own garden is a version of that nightmare, which is why I am constantly amazed at the gardens my Grow App folks keep – these are roadside-make-you-wreck-cuz-you-can’t-stop-looking BEAUTIES! As the heat of summer sets in, the goodies are coming on; we’re talking tomatoes and beans, people – and meals are downright lavish! As the heat index reaches hell’s porch levels, I am overcome with the compulsion to eat tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches and drink iced tea. It’s a strange and unconscious ritual that always makes me smile because I know it’s really summer when that happens. Blackberries ripen, cicadas start their symphony, and the garden battles begin! Our Grow App folks are fighting the good fight and received organic pest control at our June meeting. My personal favorite pest control is netting, but it can be hard to get ahead of the vicious summertime beasts. Recently, I was reading a lecture by Rudolf Steiner in which he argued that plants cannot become diseased, they are merely communicating an unhealthy environment (paraphrasing pretty hard here), but it really changed my perspective on the challenges of gardening; instead of fighting to keep the pests out, perhaps we focus on ensuring the plant is in a healthy environment. So much of our work is focused on making sure the plant produces, but plants, like people, are more than the fruits of their labor. How often do we consider if our plants are happy? It helped me to think of it that way. As we move into the heavy season, I plan to fight pests less and listen to my plants more. Happy growing…and eating!
I love this perspective, Kiristen! I enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for your inspiring words!