Is Your Summer Garden Going To The Birds?

I walked out into my garden this morning to find a small flock of wild bright yellow finch covering my basil plant which has gone to seed.  I'd been meaning to clip off all those seed stalks to keep the energy going into the leaves but I'm really glad I didn't!

I think the lesson here for us city (or in my case, town) dwellers is that we need to continuously think beyond our own crop and lives.  Our gardens create a food supply for more than just our own family. Just think of all the visitors we have, well, some more welcome than others.  Our gardens attract bees, birds, insects, possums, raccoon, and numerous other creatures, right on down the food chain.

While those seed stalks might mean fewer basil leaves for me, it means many meals for the little birds that eat those seeds.  Just another lesson garden learned.

Save Some Seeds For You Too

Of course make sure to harvest a few seeds for next years garden.  Old plastic pill bottles make good seed saver containers.  The tight fitting lids help keep the bugs out.  Make sure to label the bottles with the plant name, variety and date.