Green Treefrog we found in the eggplant last year
One of the nice things about farming organically is you know you aren’t hurting all the benign wildlife you come across on the farm on a daily basis. (Non-benign wildlife is another story for another day.) Like Cesar Milan says (yes, I’m a dog person) “never work against Mother Nature.” A lot of the success of an organic farm has to do with the health and well being of the millions of visible and invisible creatures living there, from the microbes and worms breaking down organic matter into rich soil, to the honey bees pollinating your cucumbers. Beyond that though, there’s a whole population of wildlife that might not directly affect our farm, but which is part of the delicate ecosystem that lives on and around us, and is working all the time to keep our little piece of earth healthy. Farming organically is a way to work with Mother Nature, and not against her. When you kill everything on a farm with herbicides and pesticides, you have to then try really hard to re-introduce all the things your plants need to survive, but if you manage things organically, that living earth is providing everything your plants need naturally.
But another side benefit is those small moments of joy when we get to cross paths with said wildlife. This year seems to be Year of the Turtle. First there was this guy, hanging out in the half-finished pepper house:
Then I heard from a farmer up the road who found a big old snapper in his greenhouse. And finally there was this adorable little guy in our greenhouse:
Also recently, a small gray tree frog moved into an unused water line and is, I swear, sitting there every single time I look.
We work pretty hard, so it’s nice to take a little time occasionally and enjoy the thrill of life all around us.
Didn’t I tell you I’m a dog person? Logan is also part of the farm ecosystem, and definitely has his “wildlife” moments.
Farmer Ruthie 