Our part in the WORLD
Spring was here yesterday, I swear. I felt the sun and savored the sounds from above and below; birds calling to each other in the trees, and frogs, gathering in the vernal pools, deep into mating season, calling out ‘come, love me!’
Today, however, it feels as if we’ve fallen back into winter. We are all bundled up on the streets and there is snow, SNOW, falling. Spring in Vermont has always been a non-linear process, feeling like we take one step forward and two steps backward as we march toward warmer weather and lush green growth. Though, these days, it feels as if there is more confusion in the weather. People are exclaiming and complaining, chills and colds are running through the community. And what about the other beings with whom we share this land? How are they experiencing this shock of weather? How are they coping?
The climate of the world is changing which means that the weather we experience everyday is affected. As we move into a new season of planting and tending. What are some ways that we can look out for others and in our own small way, mitigate the drastic disturbances caused by climate change?
Stay tuned in to the weather conditions as opposed to being guided by specific dates. Begin Spring clean up in the garden once there have been sufficient warm days to wake the hibernating pollinators so that you don’t accidentally disturb the sleeping beings.
Allow the confusing weather conditions to slow you down. If you’re feeling anxious and ready to get working in the garden, try instead to commit to a daily practice of stretching and strengthening your body. This can help you ease into garden work after a winter’s worth of rest.
Be mindful about what you are planting in your garden, and think about who else (and how) that plant can serve besides us humans.
Before you begin to weed any spontaneous seedlings, get to know the plant you are working with! Maybe you will find that they are unobtrusive and actually provide great benefits to your garden, pollinators, and birds.
As you begin to gather the gardening goods, please stay away from pesticides and herbicides!
Learn to read your land before adding any synthetic fertilizer. Most gardens don’t need it and in fact fertilizers can cause fast growth of spontaneous plants which will increase your labor if you don’t want those plants there.
Yes! We can take small steps of radical care for ourselves and our sweet planet in our every day! As we open our eyes to the world around us, we become more attuned to respond from a place of deep care and commitment. Here’s to a future where all beings thrive!