Gardening With/Against Nature

[tufftie]

I've noticed over the years that there seem to be two main types of gardener (and this applies to farmers too) - ones that garden with nature and ones that garden against it.

Farmers want to grow this and that crop and get the maximum renumeration from their crops and gardeners want to grow plants that for various reason aren't suitable for the garden yet they persist none the less because they want that plant. All this involves having to work against nature and has obvious drawbacks for the local ecosystem not to mention a headache for those involved.

Other farmers grow organically and work with their environment and ecosystems and while they wont bring in as much fiscally as the conventional farms they do bring in enough for the business to prosper and are not harming wildlife. Gardeners either know what they can and can't grow in their garden and plant accordingly or adopt the attitude of well we'll pop it in and see what happens and if it doesn't grow they try something else. This type of gardener usually gardens organically or at least is wildlife aware.

We really could do with educating our friends, neighbours and friends neighbours etc into gardening with nature rather than against it and it's not the uphill battle it appears to be - well most of the time as there is the odd garden control freak out there! Farmers are a different issue as quite a few of them will have the defensive barriers down which will just result in an argument that neither person will win. The only way there is to buy organic and having been comparison shopping recently there isn't too much in it price wise now. So while I'm sure you all encourage the people you know to garden with nature get them to do the same, this way we can greatly increase our wildlife habitats. For the really stubborn ones it's the gently gently approach that works - the odd helpful suggestion here and there often does the trick!

[muldonach]

It depends to a certain extent how you want to define working with or against nature. Whilst sympathetic to the basic line of your post it is by no means a black and white issue.

All farming and gardening involves interference with nature - the question is how much. I agree that taking matters to extremes and driving long term monocultures with artificial inputs is not sustainable in the long term but not all farming is at such an extreme:-

To take one example we have some very acidic peat ground which no-one in their right mind would ever consider putting down to grain production, the expense involved in arranging drainage and the artificial inputs required to achieve grain growing conditions would be wildly un-economic. The drained land would subside and within a few years would revert to being to wet to work with machinery.

Running into that ground we have some good arable land with a clay sub-strata which is drained by burying perforated piping running into ditches, and top dressed with ground limestone every few years. However this is still to an extent "working against nature" - and, as far as I know is perfectly permissible under organic rules.

Farmers in general are very much market driven and will take the road that leads to the greatest net return for their business, and realistic as to what can be achieved with the ground they have. Were the public to start voting with their wallets and demanding organic food I have no doubt that the majority of farmers would be easily converted. My understanding however is that this is far from the case and that many organic producers are finding the practice so un-economic that they are pleading for a relaxation of the rules. Again there are two sides to that coin and I know of several people who are cutting back on artificial nitrogen and moving to self fixing clover mixes purely as a result of the price hikes last year.

One word of caution as well if I may - I have no idea where you have done your price comparison but if there is a suoermarket involved please do not assume that the price on display automatically includes a realistic return to the producer - in many instances it does no such thing.

Regards
mac

[nightshade]

What will not grow naturally in your local soil can put you in permanant conflict with your garden so if you desire a particular plant put it in a tub of suitable soil.
We look around other peoples gardens to see what is successful, or just pop it in to see what happens, areas can be modified by in our case, adding sand and lime to heavy clay or putting spent compost in one area of the garden.
If you have a new garden the old backbreaking double digging using organic compost/fertiliser will set the garden up for pretty much a lifetime if done properly

[acherontia]

Getting back to the garden aspect of the opening post - I think there are some people who think that a garden that is wildlife friendly is also 'untidy' and possibly 'unattractive'. This isn't necessarily so. I think we need to get out of that 'being in control' and let it all hang loose a bit more. I find it makes gardening a lot more pleasurable!

I definately fall into the category of 'if it grows happily let it do so' and sometimes it's a lot easier to go with the flow! Once upon a time I would hanker after heathers until I realised that it just wasn't happening!

Likewise - if I'm trying a new plant (I tend to buy perennials) I'll put it in a pot and see how it gets on in a certain situation first and sometimes I'll move an established plant and find it flourishes better somewhere else.

I've 2 flower beds that I've allowed to go wild - and the funny thing is they look as though I planted them.

There's pink campion/forget me not/aqualegia/ladies mantle/solomons seal/borage etc and every last one was a 'present from the birds' that I left to flourish on its own.



Acherontia

[nightshade]

That is a lovely bit of garden

[Gaina]

Acherontia, your garden is beautiful!

[BarbaraEmma]

I have a friend with an allotment,she gardens organicly ,she also does her planting by the phases of the moon,and she has wonderful crops.

[KeenTeen17]

I prefer gardening with nature. I can't stand it when people have trees cut down and their grass flagged over or replaced with stones.

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by BarbaraEmma

I have a friend with an allotment,she gardens organicly ,she also does her planting by the phases of the moon,and she has wonderful crops.

Barbara, there was an interesting item on 'Country File' a few months ago about a lunar farmer and the results spoke for themselves. It was funny watching them harvest stuff by the moon ahd the headlights on their tractors alone .

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by Gaina

Acherontia, your garden is beautiful!

Cheers! And Nightshade.

I agree with Keen Teen - less stones/concrete and more trees and wild bits please!
I'm hoping that very soon this 'working against nature' will become unfashionable.

Acherontia