Dear Miss Floribunda,
Like last month’s working mom, I don’t have a lot of time for gardening, and I don’t know how long I’m going to be staying in my house, so I am not going to build up a long-term ecosystem. I don’t think this should keep me from planting a few tomatoes and other veggie plants without having to worry too much about bugs and diseases or spend my free time weeding. You seem dead set against chemical controls, but I really don’t see why they are a problem in just the home garden. I don’t see any other way to successfully grow vegetables for my family otherwise. Surely my backyard isn’t the only place a pollinator can call home!
Too Busy To Save Bees on Buchanan Street
Dear Too Busy,
I shared your letter with my experts. The reactions of my Aunt Snapdragon and Cousin Moribunda were particularly vehement. They demanded to know whether you were too busy to fill your car with gas when the gauge showed empty; too busy to change a diaper, put a meal on the table or call the doctor; too busy in your workplace to establish priorities based on important criteria? Are you too busy to make an effort to preserve the planet for your children?
While understanding how difficult it is to find time for all you need to do, I join them in urging you to be aware that our backyards are the last refuge for pollinators displaced by over-building in their natural habitats of meadows, flood plains and forests. Providing a refuge for the birds, insects, bats and other creatures that pollinate plant life is too often considered just a sentimental gesture rather than essential for the survival of life on Earth.
Fruit and vegetables cannot develop or reproduce without the spreading of pollen. Grains such as corn, wheat and rice are wind-pollinated, but these are generally grown by agribusinesses that find it easier and more profitable to use chemicals that not only eliminate weeds but also avian and insect life. Furthermore, they are also considered by many reputable sources to foster virulent strains of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, genetic damage and infertility in humans.
The purpose of having a home garden is not only to provide a haven for the pollinators, but to have a safe source of food for ourselves. Should you have a real infestation of harmful pests, you could spray with neem or garlic oil, which would be no more trouble than spraying toxic insecticides.
Rather than using a molluscicide, you can put out beer for slugs, allowing them to die happy; you can spread diatomaceous earth to eliminate cutworms, and coffee grounds to deter moles; you can plant mint to keep ants off peonies. Many herbs, as well as attractive flowering companion plants like marigolds, borage and nasturtiums repel pests.
Please bear in mind that even if you are willing to risk the health of your own family by using commercially available products that contain harmful chemicals, you are also endangering your neighbors. Weed-killing sprays that contain glyphosates are wind-borne and do not remain in your garden. They spread to the gardens around you. Organophosphate insecticides can contaminate soil and water. When you move away, you will leave a dreadful legacy to those who buy your home.
Should you have good reason to be afraid of bees, you would want to cover yourself up well when gardening — wearing long sleeves, long pants and gloves, even a hat with face net. Do not wear any sweet-smelling lotion or patterned clothing. Bees are attracted to the colors blue and yellow, but cannot see red. The best bet is to wear neutral colors such as beige or khaki. In general, bees only wish to work undisturbed and are not aggressive.
As for weeds, certain ones actually benefit pollinators and can be tolerated. Why not encourage your children to help with such garden tasks as weeding, watering and harvesting? The first crop will be a joyful revelation to most children. They will be delighted by the ladybugs that control aphids and the fireflies that eat mosquito larvae.
If there are creepy crawly caterpillars eating holes in a few leaves, help your children to see their cuteness and understand that they turn into beautiful butterflies and moths. Learning about our interdependence with our fellow creatures is just as important as learning computer science or playing softball.
If you would like to discuss good gardening with experienced gardeners, please come to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society on Saturday, June 21, at 10 a.m. It will take place in the Robert J. King Memorial King Park on Gallatin Street.
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Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.
