PLANTS ARE PEOPLE

Time was, people thought that plants were like people. Jerry Baker, perhaps the most famous of all American garden broadcasters/writers, made the term “Plants are like People” popular with a book by the same name, published in 1971 and a TV series.

Today we propose a change to the concept of our connections to plants: plants ARE people.

Of course, this is not true in the literal sense, but new science tells us a different story. 

Take trees for instance. In his landmark book The Hidden Life of Trees, what they feel and how they communicate, by Peter Wohlleben, we learn that trees talk to one another: they feel, hear, and think. Through scientific research, and grand story telling (which is why this book was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year) Wohlleben teaches us that trees are social beings. 

With more space, and if you had more time, we would provide details of this evidence here, but for now, lets concentrate on the communication that goes on in every forest and, to some degree, between street trees in your hometown and the trees in your yard. Through mycorrhiza, a complex network of naturally occurring fungi underground, trees send messages to one another.  A “mother tree” will send nutrients to a hungry youngster: her way of nurturing her babies. A tree experiencing an insect infestation will send messages to neighbours who will produce a toxin to the insects (see what we did there? use of the word “who”?)

Have you ever been digging in your garden and found fine, whitish filaments under the soil? Those are mycorrhiza and they are plentiful in healthy soil. When you see them, pat yourself on the back as you have accomplished something special by nurturing them in your garden.   they thrive in undisturbed, microbe rich soil.  And do not make plans to do any “double digging” as that age old process just kills mycorrhiza.

And yes, Mark actually recommended double digging in one of his earlier books (35 years ago) which proves that even old dogs… well you know.

We digress.  

Two carrots that think they are human and fell in love!

Plants are people in the context of their behaviour. A finished flower produces seed, which takes energy from the plant which otherwise would produce leaves and stems, or more flowers. This is why we recommend that you cut back your roses after the first flush of blossoms in June. NOT letting the rose plant produce rose hips, which contain seeds, preserves energy that is used to produce more flowers.   

We need to rest after a busy day in the garden to build up muscle and strength for another day.  Deadheading is to plants what a couch is to humans.

This is also why we recommend you pick your bush beans when they are young, as this encourages the plant to flower more and produce more beans.   It is a form of channeling energy.

We recommend that you not overwater your plants, indoors this time of year and outdoors, during the growing season also. Why? By allowing the soil to dry at least a few centimetres down, the roots of a plant are encouraged to reach deep into the soil in search for moisture.   Deeper roots = greater drought resistance. They become tougher.  Fewer disease and insect problems too.

Kind of like overeating or drinking: there is no long-term gain in it. We train our bodies by the choices we make. 

Don’t over water or overfertilize or allow weeds to compete…. There are a lot of dos and don’ts in this business. 

The bottom line is that when we think of plants as people, that is, when we use the same logic in caring for them as we do for ourselves, the language of plant care comes to life. And your success score increases.

This cucumber in Mark's garden would like a dance… 

Which brings us to “success”.

Isn’t it great that we can sow seeds, grow young plants, plant out and nurture through to maturity without fearing that a dead plant will mark us for life? There is no exam at the end of the season, only a level of satisfaction that you feel from the experience. 

And that feeling of satisfaction is, at least in part, a measure of the expectations that you had in the first place: in February, before the gardening season officially got underway. 

Set your sights high: shoot for the stars. This is our advice.

And don’t forget that there is no such thing as failure in the garden, only composting opportunities. 😊

Have a wonderful Valentines Day and remember that no gift, even a diamond, equals the timeless gift of nature that we call “fresh flowers”. Why? Cause they only last so long… their gift of beauty is fleeting. 

A diamond? Well, we all know that a diamond is forever. And who needs that.

Mark and Ben Cullen

Merchants of Beans and Beauty

Markcullen.com

Cullensfoods.com

Foodandsheltergoods.com