garden

Plants Can Cry For Help

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When predatory insects lay eggs on a plant, the plant will change its scent and structure to attract other bugs that eat those eggs.  They will also preemptively emit scents that ward off known pests.

A research team focused on the parasites of the cabbage plant and discovered that cabbage can very specifically alter its scent and structure in order to selectively attract certain insects.  If a butterfly lays eggs on the cabbage plant, the plant may emit a scent that attracts wasps which like to feed on the eggs.  This is all done well before the hungry caterpillars hatch.

Although it is strange, plants are just as alive and conscious as any other form of life.

For a vast amount of evidence and information regarding plants and consciousness I highly recommend reading The Secret Life of Plants.  It documents a wide range of research in the field of biology on plants that you have probably never even heard of.

Edible Landscapes

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An Edible Landscape

This garden, consists entirely of healthy, edible plants!

This TED talk describes how local communities and the world at large can begin to use its land more effectively.  Pam Warhurst explains how she and a small group of garden revolutionaries began planting edible herbs, fruits and vegetables around their village in England without permission.  The result?  Countless miles of previously unused land has been converted into healthy chow.  Pam is urging the world to stop growing ‘pretty’ flowers simply for their aesthetic value and start growing edible plants in their place.   Oh, those vines wrapped around city hall’s bicycle rack?  Strawberries.  Help yourself.

The idea of edible landscaping has also spread to homeowners around the world who are choosing to transform their front and back yards into gardens in place of traditional shrub-style landscaping. Ros Creasy has actually been practicing edible landscaping for three decades! Everyday Joes and Janes are beginning to adopt more sustainable lifestyles through edible landscaping.  Not only does the practice save you a nice chunk of cash, it is also a healthier alternative to the food you eat.  It makes the environment happy as well by decreasing the amount of space required for commercial agriculture.

Whether through personal or communal gardening, keeping edible landscapes is an easily approachable and sustainable lifestyle. Anyone can do it.  As Pam Warhurst said, “if you eat food, you’re in!”

Your body, your community, your planet, and the future will thank you!

 

 

Eat Your Yard: Grow an Edible Landscape at Home

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edible landscape

Edible landscapes heidiinthegarden.blogspot.com

This TED talk describes how local communities and the world at large can begin to use land to create edible landscapes instead of lawns. Pam Warhurst explains how she and a small group of garden revolutionaries began planting edible landscapes consisting of edible herbs, fruits and vegetables around their village in England without permission.  The result? Countless miles of previously unused land has been converted into healthy chow.

Pam is urging the world to stop growing ‘pretty’ flowers simply for their aesthetic value and start growing edible plants in their place. Oh, those vines wrapped around city hall’s bicycle rack?  Strawberries. Help yourself.

The idea of growing edible landscapes has also spread to homeowners around the world who are choosing to transform their front and back yards into gardens in place of traditional shrub-style landscaping. Ros Creasy has actually been creating edible landscapes for three decades! Everyday Joes and Janes are beginning to adopt more sustainable lifestyles through utilizing edible landscapes. Not only does the practice save you a nice chunk of cash, it is also way to make the food you eat healthier.  It makes the environment happy as well by decreasing the amount of space required for commercial agriculture.

A particularly fruitful type of edible landscape is the food forest. The food forest has an almost legendary status among gardening and edible landscape enthusiasts due to the fact that it grows 9 different layers of edible crop on the same piece of ground. That’s not even the best part. A food forest is self contained, meaning you work very little to maintain it and there is no waste created by the forest since everything from the forest is recycled back into the soil. A food forest is literally the garden of Eden at your tongue’s command.

Whether through personal or communal gardening, keeping edible landscapes is an easily approachable and sustainable lifestyle choice. Anyone can do it.  As Pam Warhurst said,

if you eat food, you’re in!

Come on fellow food lovers, you have nothing to lose, and hordes of delicious fruits and veggies to gain!

A highly suggested documentary if you’re interested in learning more about edible landscape history and different current techniques is the “Permaculture Trio” documentary, available in full on Youtube.

Your body, your community, your planet, and the future will thank you for growing food, not lawns.

 

Sources to get you started:

TED talk by Pam Warhurst

Youtube: You can’t eat grass

Youtube: A visit with Ros Creasy

Rosalind Creasy‘s website

Youtube- Permaculture Trio