The single most profound statement my garden mentor, Stacey Murphy, ever said to me is so simple that it’s easy to dismiss as obvious. But the impact this simple tip can have on your garden journey is massive.
She said, “Let nature do the work for you.”
At first glance this seems like a no-brainer. But once you begin to apply the information to your garden decisions, you start to realize how to live more and more in line with nature. Because the reality is, nature will do the work for you… if you let her.
The keyword is let. It’s very easy to think you’re letting nature do the work for you, because you believe in the concept. But often, growers are actually acting in a way that is trying to get nature to do the work. The difference between operating from the force of ‘getting’ and the support of ‘letting’ can be subtle, but through conscious practice, you can begin to see your place in the garden in a whole new light.
Key #1: The first key to letting nature do the work for you is to keep going.
For example, maybe you’re planting a perennial herb in the same place in your garden and every year it just keeps dying. You realize that while you want that herb there, it doesn’t like being there. Far too often people end the conversation here and simply give up. But if you keep the conversation with nature going and ask why, then you’re opening the door to deepening your partnership with nature, learning how to work with her. Because quite often, the solution is something simple: maybe the drainage wasn’t good enough in that area, maybe it needed just a bit more light or maybe it needed just a little less water. The important thing is not to give up! The more you cultivate your partnership with nature, the more fresh harvests you can get and the less effort you’ll need to put forth!
Key #2: The second key to letting nature do the work for you is to listen, get still, and observe.
Let’s say you want to grow organically but you keep losing your food to pest and disease infestations. You spend money and bring in the beneficials to take care of the crop competitors, but it doesn’t work and the following year they’re nowhere to be seen!
This happens to growers a lot and, being disappointed, they often give up on the idea that beneficial insects can help them in their garden. More often than not, beneficials fail to do the job because of some small aspect that we overlook. Maybe the temperatures weren’t right when we released them. Maybe we don’t have enough perennials for them to overwinter. Or maybe the beneficial species did do the job, but the crop competitor population was just too high for the one beneficial species to do it all on its own. Whatever it is, you won’t know unless you observe and employ your curiosity to find out.
This can be one of the hardest keys to practice. Because while observing is easy, finding time to observe can be a huge challenge for growers. Luckily, you don’t have to sit for hours in your garden (though that is quite enjoyable! 🙂) or set up a 24 hour camera. The easiest way to observe is to do it while you’re performing your other garden tasks. This means you have to be present with your garden.
If you’re thinking about your kids’ homework, a huge project due date at work, or the thousand other things you have going on in life while you’re pruning your tomatoes, watering, and performing all your other garden tasks, then you aren’t being present with your garden. Not only does that make for a less enjoyable experience, you won’t be able to observe and might miss something that later could have helped you save your harvest.
Key # 3: Practice being present in the garden.
This doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process. It can be as simple as setting your clock for two or three minutes before going into your garden to clear your mind, set your intentions, and to remind yourself that all the mental clutter will still be there after your garden time. It just might save your harvest.
If you practice the 3 Keys to letting nature do the work for you—#1: keep going, #2: listen, get still, and observe, and #3: practice being present in the garden, you’ll be well on your way to forming a long-lasting partnership with nature and discovering how to support nature so that she can do the work for you!
Gophers are terrific at aerating the hard clay soil!
Going with the flow of nature can be comical. I’ve tried meditation, and all these things down their plentiful holes in the backyard: fish emulsion, cayenne pepper, garlic, prayer, cursing, and flooding to no avail.
Wire mesh baskets and planting in barrels and hardware cloth lined beds seem the only remedies to watching dear plants disappear down the hole or dying as their roots are chewed off. Arrrrrggghhh!
Birdsong, racoon paw prints, and lotsa lizards help me to remain calm an smiling ~ even as gophers get closer to tender apple tree roots!
Thank you for the invitation to just BE in the beauty of it all.
yes the forest doesn’t need help … mimic a forest
the right plant in the right place
foster soil biology – fungal growth by adding compost and wood chip mulch that break down the minerals in rocks and sand
and this also encourages worms and insects in the soil
I love this! Yes it’s so important to just be still and see everything around you working in harmony. I love watching my frogs in the pond or seeing the robins so nearby when I’m digging. Being still is me time on the allotment that I love ❤️
Thank you for this reminder to be present and mindful!
Thank you, Crystal, and thank you, Stacey.
What you wrote is so accurate and necessary in this out-of-control world we have created. I would like to add to your comments and inform your readers about the existence of Perelandra, Center for Nature Research. It will open your eyes and help you immensely to connect and work with nature.
THANK You for this! It is so simple, but overlooked by me. I’m printing this out and keeping it handy to read again and again.
The best tool in the garden is observation. I have learned a lot from letting my garden teach me.
Thank you. Excellent thoughts
These are all great pointers and gardening can be therapeutic as well. However, I have learned by observing that yes you want nature to intervene, but the right seeds and good soil will help get the seeds off to a good start. With all the talk about “growing your own food” I couldn’t resist. However, my approach was a bit different than what I have done before. I chose to use organic seeds and I used a totally different potting mix. Pleasantly surprised that made all the difference. My seeds germinated in two days instead of four to six. I transferred the seedlings to pots and am “hardening off” the plants by giving them a set number of hours outside so they develop strong root systems. I think you can get the help of nature part way, but you need to start with good basics for the plants to get a good start. I learned this the hard way. I am starting small this year but want to expand my gardening in the near future.