Let nature do her thing

In the name of Allah, the Most gracious, the Most merciful. There is none like unto Him.



molesnake under borage

 25 November 2014

InshaAllah to have a successful garden of fruits and vegetables one has to get the eco balance right. So we do our best to make it easier for nature to do her thing.  In the words of bob flowerdew, “Nature always reaches a balance; we aim to move that point so that it is in our favour and not against us.” So the borage plants and nasturtiums provide not only shade for the plants but are excellent hiding places for insects and of late animals of the slithering kind such as geitjies and snakes.

In the past the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers have wreaked havoc with not only plants but also to our health and as the world over gardeners and agriculturalists have realized the way to go is hand over to biological control – thus yields are up and we are all invested in using natural processes to our advantage.

Which brings me to encouraging wild life in this harmonious balance. We need to encourage pests as well as predators, pollinators and recyclers. Pests are only pests when they destroy our crops and plants such as an overload of snails but controlled in smaller numbers they feed birds whose droppings make the soil fertile and as a bonus snails eat diseased and waste material too. So before you scream when you see baby toads or frogs remember that they eat other pests. Beetles are friends when they are orange or yellow or red and covered with black spots – yep ladybugs. But the ones who bore into branches and stems are a no no though beetles are great pollinators in winter conditions when other insects can’t fly. Recyclers are insects that convert dead and diseased plant material into plant food both in the soil and on the soil.

Earlier we had a cricket overload and the birds helped to balance the scales again. Of late I see that there are many frogs around the smallholding – green ones and small black ones and I have been wondering which predators it will bring. I did not have too long to wait! Last week I was at a meeting, I noticed that the strawberry patch at the back of wall seemed a bit disheveled with the border onions looking verlep when I got home and did my rounds. Everyone was avoiding my eyes so I thought: “ Ag the boys kicked the ball into the garden again and broke something”.

By Thursday the word was out, “We saw a snake.” “It’s by time”, was my flippant reply. I had seen a molted snake skin and a small red grass snake at the compost heap. Finally I got out the story, no one wanted me to know because they thought it would scare me. How long was it, what kind of snake, what colour, where was it, who found it, who killed it, who buried it? These are the moments when I am not sure who was nearly wetting their pants or really brave, tee hee.

It turned out to be a metre and a bit long probably a mole snake. I think it really scared the boys picking strawberries and as they chased it the snake tried to escape down the rabbit hole, I mean gopher hole. There has been a lot of drilling and commotion on the street pavement and I kind of expected snakes to come and look for safety, which is what happened in Lansdowne when huge machines cut the bushes on the field. We also have lots of frogs and crickets, perfect hors d'oeuvres for snakes. So ha ha, the boys buried the snake and I had a heck of time explaining that snakes have a part to play in the eco system as well, why does everyone see them as evil serpents waiting to bite them? The gopher made holes through the beds and the snakes are subletting from them. Not that it does not make me nervous - just no more sandals in the gardens and knocking out of boots before we put them on. 

So ja, our eco system has developed well and makes for a very healthy environment for humans, plants and wild life and of course our kitties, who mind you are growing up so fast – mice, moles and snakes beware. I shake with laughter as they chase bees and flies and grrp in their mouths. They have extended their playground to the surrounding sections of the house and still dash in when there is an unfamiliar loud noise.

I continue placing logs and make corners of rocks as good hiding places for bugs and other things. I plant very particular plants to lure the pollinators, recyclers and pests and predators such as comfrey, borage, lavender, poppies, artichokes, fuchsias, sweet peas and fox gloves and I do think as city slickers we have to consider wild life more than just reacting to the fear factor. Spiders and wasps are such valuable friends. And one can learn to control ones fear around the bees. If you are calm and collected working around the same space where they are collecting nectar they can’t be bothered with you. Quite frankly, I used to be scared and make duah as I enter their space but I get over myself because we need them more than they need us. There would be very little vegetables indeed if the pollinators did not come and visit.

Plant food and get over yourself with being scared of bees

Yasmine