The garden ecosystem
Like every gardener, I have moments of being irritated by wildlife I could have a happier life without – a molehill on my lawn, greenfly on my roses or rabbits gnawing at the bark of a young sapling. But I’ve found a way of reconciling myself to ‘the baddies’ and learning how to minimise their predations, with the aim of having a garden which is home to bees, birds and small mammals that add to my pleasure and, more importantly, help make my garden a miniature nature reserve. It is not enough to watch Sir David Attenborough in some exotic location; we need to make sure our nature reserve contributes to the greater picture by gardening in a wildlife-friendly way.
For a start that means giving up chemicals. Every single creature depends to some extent on another for its survival. Wipe out part of this complex food chain with pesticides and something else is affected. There will always be fluctuations in populations of greenfly, garden birds, amphibians such as frogs and toads, but nature tends to be quite good at maintaining a balance. I’ve been organic for around 40 years now. It takes a while to achieve a balance if you’ve always sprayed this and that, but I have no great disasters in my garden, which is awash with birds, bees, butterflies, insects and microscopic creatures I cannot see, but which fulfill a vital role in this complex scenario.
Grow plenty of single flowers (those with an open structure), rich in pollen and nectar, to attract insects such as bees that will ensure good crops of peas, beans, apples and pears. Butterflies will be attracted to them, too. Feed garden birds – especially in winter. Not only are they a joy to have around but they also play a vital role in pest control – listen to the tap-taptapping of a song thrush breaking a snail shell to eat the tender contents! Nest boxes will encourage bluetits which feed on insect pests.
A small pond will bring innumerable forms of life to your garden. Pond skaters will appear from nowhere. How did they know you had just made a pond? Frogs, toads and newts are a delight to watch and will help to control pests. The water will provide sustenance for garden birds and hedgehogs as they come to drink.
Instead of using insecticides on vegetables (hardly appetising) use mechanical means of control: fine mesh netting over carrots to deter carrot fly; slightly wider mesh netting over cabbages and other brassicas to prevent large white butterflies laying their eggs and pigeons from tearing at the leaves. Grow raspberries and strawberries in a fruit cage to encourage birds to go elsewhere – all this will provide you with fruit and veg unsullied by noxious sprays.
Companion planting is something which has been around for years – the growing of one plant alongside another for mutual benefit. Try planting small-flowered French marigolds (tagetes) in the same soil as your tomatoes. I find they help to deter whitefly. Onions planted among carrots will confuse carrot fly due to their strong aroma. As the seasons change, so will the wildlife population in your garden. Some birds – such as swallows – will migrate to warmer climes, others – such as redwings – will arrive to feed in winter. This rich tapestry of wildlife is ours to enjoy if only we take a little trouble to encourage it.