When my children were growing up, like so many parents, I exposed them to Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. For those of you who might not know who he was, he was a television icon whose program ran on PBS for decades. Through his simple messages, Mr. Rogers helped to raise up a generation. Funny thing is, as he was planting thoughts in millions of children across the globe, he also had a tremendous impact on the parents who were raising them.
One of my favorite episodes by far was the one where he encouraged children to always look for the helpers. What I come to realize over time, is that simple message was and is a blueprint for living. The truth is nothing or no one gets through life without the help of someone or something else to help them along the way.
When I reflect on my own life, it is so clear that I have managed well not so much due to what I did, but rather through what others did in order to help me along the way.
And so this brings me to the subject of this garden blog – Look for the Helpers.
As an avid gardener and designer, I recognize the importance of understanding how everything works in harmony with one another. From the moment you decide what to plant, to sowing the seeds and reaping the bounty, every aspect of growing, whether it be flowers or food, must work as a well-synchronized cycle of events; much of which happens seamlessly once things are set into motion. From the earthworms and spiders that are busy working underground, to the worker bees and lady bugs that are all doing their part to a successful end, they are all working toward a successful end.
This blog is dedicated to helping my garden friends know what they can do to identify who are the helpers and be mindful of how we each can do our part. Here are a few tips.
Create an environment that welcomes life. A good indication of what that looks like is to get to know your garden. Get up early in the morning and close out the day in order to observe the living things in your garden. Is it a garden filled with lots of living activity? This is a good way to measure if things are out of balance.
Go underground. Dig into the soil in different parts of the garden to see what organisms are present. Are there earthworms and other helpers present?
If so, this is a good indication that this is fertile ground. If earth worms are not present, work to build an environment where they can thrive. Adding leaf compost and earth worms to the soil to get things going is a good place to start. You can purchase earth worms at most garden nurseries.
Plant to attract life. When planting your garden, research and include different varieties of plants and trees that attract pollinators. This is important as they will do the hard work.
Avoid pesticides at all costs. Mosquitoes are a big problem; especially during August and September as this is prime breeding time. There is a further concern of illnesses that are present and can present serious health issues if bitten. As a result, there is a big surge in companies that have popped up offering services to spray in order to kill and rid homes of these pesky insects. The concern I have is, unfortunately if it kills the mosquitoes, chances are it will also kill the “good” insects as well. We can be helpers to reduce the mosquito population by making sure to get rid of any standing water and to plant things that repel. In other words, don’t become a breeding ground. Did you know that things like lavender and rosemary are natural mosquito repellants?
Teach the children in your life about the garden. Never discount the impact children can have on the environment. I strongly believe that caretakers of our planets are born everyday. They are the worker bees who through their actions can help to build an army of future helpers. And it all begins with you.
Spread the word. Share what you are doing with your neighbor and encourage them to tell the next neighbor; and so on.
We have work to do, and we can, because We Are the Helpers.
Because life should be good. How good is that…
Deigratia,
Bonnie
