Whilst we have been hibernating through the Winter months, there has been a world of industry going on under our very feet
With Spring bringing warmth to our hearts, minds and frozen hands, you can’t help but notice nature and welcome the occasional ray of sunshine on your face. Those of you who have had your hands in the soil regularly for years will already know that gardening simply makes you feel good. There is something very instinctive about gardening, the ebb and flow of the seasons, knowing that nature cannot be hurried, that there is something bigger than ourselves in an increasingly frantic world, this last year more than ever. Watching nature do its work never fails to impress me and understanding and respecting how insects and plants work in harmony can help your garden along too.
Historically we, as gardeners, have dug everything, sometimes twice. The very act of lifting and turning the soil, as therapeutic as it may be to us, is disrupting the delicate balance, the all important layers that nature has worked so hard to create. Worms, insects and fungi are all essential for plant health and when left alone to do their job, will give back in spades, pardon the pun.
In particular, Mycorrhiza are beneficial fungi that live under plant roots, absorbing sugars from the roots in exchange for moisture and nutrients gathered from the soil, acting as extensions to the root system. When they are disturbed by all the energetic digging over, they simply stop working as effectively.
“The creatures and organisms that live in the soil are vital to its fertility and plant health.”
Rather than digging everything over, covering your soil with a layer of organic matter or mulch will allow nutrients to be taken underground by insect movement and rainfall. By doing this you are improving fertility and plant health naturally without the soil’s associations with plants and its micro biology being disrupted. Mulching also acts as weed suppressant, essentially it’s a win-win situation.
There are, of course, many gardening tasks to be done that give you all the benefits of being out in the fresh air, get the blood pumping and stretch the knots out of your body and mind.
Whatever or however you garden, planting and nurturing or even just enjoying your outside space with a glass of something lovely, we should never stop being thankful for the gift of nature.
If you would like to discuss your garden, please get in touch. 01483 275920