It’s been a real dance with nature this season. All the creatures moving in and making this little piece of paradise their home. To name a few… voles snacking on our sweet pepper plants. Cut worms slicing our freshly planted tomatoes. Aphids on our carrots. The leaf miner hatching larva into our spinach and chard. The raven sneaking into the coop and stealing eggs. Rats nesting under the chicken coop run foundation scavenging for food. And we found a family of raccoons nearby waiting for our juicy beets and carrots to ripen.
It all seems like enough to cause endless stress to a farmer, but I have a funny sort of well being and gratitude about it all. There is a strange beauty to seeing a little bit of everything. Not one thing dominating and taking over but each year being different and varied. We’ve created a diverse and wonderous ecosystem on the farm and nature is moving in. It's not so much about killing weeds or pests (though yes there is some of that) but moving towards a dynamic environment that sets an equilibrium amongst the species that populate it. As we grow, nature grows with us, and we learn endlessly what creates balance and fills in the missing pieces. It’s probably not an aphid problem but more of a ladybug deficiency. Diversity encourages not one thing to thrive or become dominant but everything working together in a complex way.
It’s been incredible watching the property buzz with life. It’s not just the pests that are here but it’s the beneficial creature too. They play such a vital role in balancing this harmonious yet violent dance of nature. Every predator has a predator. Though the birds of prey love chicken eggs, they also love rats and voles. The lady bugs are attracted to the diverse flowers, but they also love to eat aphids. Ryegrass cover crops let out a chemical that prevents weed germination. The living soil food web creates resilient immune system for plants.
It’s been a creative spring of pest management, but things are growing and flowing, a few setbacks but hey we have 100+ varieties of things so there will always be a harvest.
As our first wise mentor told use “If you build it, they will come”
Comentários