Garden Ecology 101

I got interested in gardening because I wanted to grow food- not flowers.  Flower gardening some how didn't seem utilitarian enough to me until I learned a little more about garden ecology.  I quickly learned that growing food is significantly more complicated than putting a plant in dirt and giving it some water.

Soil is a complex heterogeneous mixture.  This means that it consists of many separate and distinct parts.  It's home to animals, bacteria, and fungi that decompose waste like manure and plant parts.  These little guys are the magicians responsible for turning your kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich soil in your compost heap.

The diversity of life forms in your garden starts in the soil, but also includes both your plants and the animals that interact with them.  Most of the animals that you see in your garden are probably insects; some of them are helpful, but some of them hurt your crops.  When I tried to grow strictly veggies, I definitely had more harmful than helpful insects.  A friend suggested that I include some flowers in my garden, and I was converted.  I now recognize and appreciate the wonders of growing flowers.  They attract the good pollinators like honeybees and the predators that eat the nuisances like aphids.  Plus they look gorgeous and smell delicious.  Best of all, I can still use them for food.  Here are some clever ways to consume flowers:

Roses- delicious in sweet foods like ice cream, can be baked in cakes
Chamomile-smells charming and perfect for a cup of tea before bed
Lavender-also great in tea
Marigolds-flavorful addition to salads
Sunflowers-sunflower seeds, duh!

For me, the bottom line is that gardening is more about growing an ecosystem than one vegetable and flowers are instrumental in this process.  They also make your outdoor space more vibrant and interesting.  And you can cut them to bring inside and make your home lovely and fresh.  Don't forget to stop and smell the roses, or whatever you grow.