Stewardship : The winds of change

A turkey offering 

End of garlic bloom

Thistle

Asters

Spotted Knapweed

Blueberries

Blueberries

Yarrow

The winds of change are upon us. The summer season is drawing to a close. The days are shortening and the nights are cooling. Time to think about winter and firewood. Crunching through the woods surrounding the cozy cabin in the woods , I think about stewardship . What does that mean to you ? Especially when you think of the land that supports us ? In grazing states there are noxious weed laws. Needless to say much of the summer was spent in the yoga position of "Down Dog". On my piece of heaven I have decided to pull and mow instead of poison the weeds. After three years of avoiding chemicals I finally have honey bees visiting the yard. This is great news. Life returns . I have been pondering the the fenced in Jungle . This is my garden that grows 3 foot high grasses that rival the high plains . Tilling the soil encourages weeds to grow as the weed seeds can lie dormant for years in the top inches of the soil. So I have decided to use the mulch technique . This will involve perhaps 20 to 30 bales of straw to create a mulch mat that prevents weeds and grasses from growing . It sounds appealing. We will see. My version of stewardship is to create a habitat that encourages the insects and birds to thrive. Herbicides by definition prevent thriving . I understand why they are used especially when you see the vast expanses of pasture land here. It is a hard sell to encourage hundreds of people to stand on their heads for hours pulling weeds in the middle of no where.However I am only in charge of a few acres and for now will tread gently on this soil and continue the physical removal and spare the chemical warfare.