Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees

I'll sing a green song

How wild is your green song?

Wild as a world where little things creep

In their green grass forests deep

Deep in their long-stemmed world.

-Margaret Wise Brown

When we moved to Reading almost 3 years ago I insisted upon 1 thing when is came to the outdoors. No chemicals on the lawn or in the garden. I know sometimes I am a bit of a worrier, but I had a child under 1 and I really thought and still think that no exposure is better than some exposure. My husband and I argued several years before over the use of chemicals when we lived in a neighboring town and he was using a chemical weed killer on our patio. I was not happy about it, but he was of the opinion "it has been around for a long time and companies wouldn't knowingly put the public in danger." Then I told him how EPA partially funded by the American Chemical Association planned a study to study the effect of pesticides in low income children. The study would essentially knowingly expose children under 3 to pesticides and pay the parents for participation. Pesticide exposure has been linked to neurological problems, lung damage and birth defects. If the government agency in charge of protecting us from the dangers of chemical are in cahoots with the chemical companies...well...can you trust anything?

My husband started to see things my way...did he have any choice:) ! So we set off on the path to organic lawn care and gardening. I don't think we started out with the intention of being "organic" it just developed out of necessity because we really didn't know what we were doing! The mess that was our lawn was proof of our novice first attempts. Now we know that when you go from a chemically treated lawn to an organic lawn, the first 2 seasons are challenging. You literally are starting over. We bought most of our supplies at Eric's Greenhouse 1090 Main St. (781)944-0547.


So here is what we learned:

1. Get your soil healthy....we used Cock-a-Doodle-Doo as a fertilizer.
2. Cut your lawn to a minimum of 3 inches and mulch the clippings right on the lawn.
3. Thatch and plant seeds early spring and as needed.
4. After new grass is established you can put down corn gluten to protect from weeds.
5. Weeds for the first 2 seasons when withdrawing from chemicals are pretty bad.
6. Get exercise and fresh air by pulling weeds by hand. Or make a spray weed killer with vinegar salt and dish soap...it works!
7. Grow many different ground covers for your lawn not just 1 type of grass.
   

Now we have a healthy lawn that really resists burning and wilting when it doesn't rain. We love that we have clover now. In fact clover is totally retro. Grass seed once upon a time in the fifties included 10% or so of clover right in the mix. It adds nitrogen naturally and is hardier than grass. Is our lawn perfect? No way. We really should have our soil tested and add amendments to it using the results as our guide. Our backyard needs some serious weeding and we will always battle our ground ivy and violets. They are pretty and smell really great, but perhaps if we did this testing it would be a bit easier to keep these weeds at bay.....we are still learning!

Even though it is still a process, we do think far less about our lawn these days...it is doing it's thing. We now have a circle of life right in our yard. I am not being dramatic. A benefit to all of this chemical free living is that life returns. All of it.


We have worms now. If you are using any pesticide treatment...you have no worms in your lawn. I totally did not know this until last year. Also...chemical fertilizer or inorganic fertilizer is partly made from natural gas!!! Are you kidding you say. I am not. The inorganic fertilizer may not only reduce the minerals from your soil, but actually deplete them from the soil after long term use. I am sure you can guess where much of this fertilizer is made....yes, from China.


Pesticide free means we have worms and various insects. This attracts not only robins and other birds but chipmunks as well, whose diet consists of grain, nuts, birds' eggs, fungi, worms, and insects. Our clover attracts bees which are totally necessary if I expect to get any cucumbers or squash from my garden this year. I am thrilled to see honey bees in our clover this year. Last year we made a tough choice about spraying our mighty oak tree with pesticide (I believe synthetic pyrethroids) due to the siege of winter and gypsy moth caterpillars. I tried to cover the spirea flowers I knew the bumble bees loved, however I do believe that the pesticides took killed the bees despite my meager attempts to save them. If I had to make the decision again I think I would let the oak tree fight the attack on its own.

I have also been concerned about the honey bees due to colony collapse disorder. The bees from a colony just fly off never to return. Experts have no idea why this is happening but several theories such as genetically modified crops, viruses , mites and pesticides are all on the table.


Getting back to our wild habitat. Our clover also attracts rabbits who munch on it with gusto! Of course we also spy our neighborhood squirrels both gray and black. I have encouraged the wild black raspberries and blackberry brambles to grow on the perimeter of our lawn and gardens. They too feed many an animal including us!


Now for the big game that takes advantage of our mini ecosystem. I have watched a hawk this winter hunt for birds in our front bushes. I watch with awe and a bit of horror as this amazing bird dove into the bushes, popped his head out the top with a total conviction of purpose. I cheered for it, but silently hoped he would not be successful. Now we currently have foxes. Cute, yes. A bit intimidating, yes. I know by my research...and now personal eyewitness experience, that foxes eat small game like birds, chipmunks and squirrels. However, it is a bit disquieting to walk out to our play area and see a fox mid-day scampering away. I am also a bit taken about at the amount of remains I have found around our house from small animals that did not run away fast enough from this clever fox. All I can say is fascinating but shoooooooooo fox !!!!!!!!!! Big time.


So I never expected to initiate and encourage all of this life from not using chemicals. I do feel good that I can provide a space for the creatures big and small who just require some healthy food and space just like the rest of us.