Marjorie Harris - Ecological Gardening

T hanks to Chris Harris who worked incredibly hard on the research for this edition; Dr. Laurence Packer of York University for close reading of the bug chapter; the wonderful writing of Bridget Stutchberry, Janet Benyus and Michael Pollan; Karen York, Sonia Day and Juliet Mannock who always make good suggestions on how to garden well. Id also like to thank the design and editorial teams at Random House CanadaKelly Hill, Erin Cooper, Amanda Lewis, Kylie Barker, Deirdre Molina, and especially Anne Collins for agreeing to bring my book back to life.

Also by Marjorie Harris

How to Make a Garden
Botanica North America
The Canadian Gardener
Seasons of My Garden
Marjorie Harris Favorite Garden Tips
Pocket Gardening
In the Garden
Favorite Annuals
Favorite Flowering Shrubs
Favorite Perennials
Favorite Shade Plants
The Canadian Gardeners Year
The Canadian Gardener

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Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Quill, 1997

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Campbell, Stu. Let It Rot!: The Gardeners Guide to Composting. Pownal, Vt: Garden Way Publishing, 1975

Cox, Jeff. The Pacific Northwest in Organic Gardening (July/August 1990): 26

Druse, Ken. The Natural Garden. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1989

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Firth, Grace. A Natural Year. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972

Franck, Gertrud. Companion Planting. Wellingborough, England: Thorsons Publishing Group, 1983

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Hansen, James, quoted in Water Wisdom by Victoria Mattern in Organic Gardening (February 1990): 41

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The Real Dirt

I was an organic gardener long before I knew what the term meant. When I started gardening decades ago, labels on fertilizer packages with 101010 or 210whatever baffled me. These products all seemed to be manufactured by the same big chemical companies that I was, no doubt, boycotting because of their involvement in the Vietnam War. Since I was composting out of habit and the garden seemed healthy enough, I didnt bother with synthetic fertilizers. Through laziness I was doing exactly what I should have been doing ecological gardening by default.

The most important philosophical gardening question to ask yourself is this: What is the nature of soil? Think for a moment about how we even acquired this miraculous substance. Over millions of years, massive upheavals around the world exposed huge rocks, then glacial movements scoured them clean. In the retreat of the great ice sheets, moraines, boulders and clay were left behind. They became deposits of gravel and sand as they were pounded away by wind and rain. Over the eons, through the action of bacteria, fungi, lichens, insects and eventually earthworms, thin layers of soil emerged.

In fact, the earth you stand on in your garden seethes with life. Imagine big animals devouring little animals, think of ancient migrations and the drama of birth and death all going on in a dark world that requires oxygen and water to survive. Sounds a lot like what happens on top of the soil, doesnt it? Though we are very concerned about the quality of our air, we seldom think about this other part of the biosphere.

Half the soil consists of solid material, mostly mineral particles, and half consists of the spaces between this material; and half of these, in turn, are filled with water that occurs as a film around the particles. All these microscopic bits and pieces are so vital that without them we would be doomed.

Whats taking place in this subterranean world is a cycle of death and decomposition, as one kind of organism becomes food for others. Eventually these death throes supply all the nutrients needed by plants. The ultimate in recycling. Every plant you add has a function within this community: some fix nitrogen in the soil, some are deep-rooted, diving downwards for water, while others with shallow roots take advantage of limited rain.