I asked a neighbor recently as we stood outside tending our respective yards, “What are weeds *really*?” And although that is, in fact, a recognizable category, after some research I found that they are actually readable: a helpful diagnostic for the discerning gardener to read the condition of their soil. Further, they often are protecting or healing the ground beneath to restore its fecundity.
I imagine with some more research we’ll discover that “pests” are much the same.
A beautiful piece, Hadden. Thank you for writing it.
Thank you for your kind words Nate, and I love the idea of "weeds" being indicators of garden/soil health and that weeds have useful functions - that is something I might write about in the future.
You should! I think there are spiritual riches to be mined from the principle, as well (e.g. recognizing certain “weeds” in our thoughts, habits, behaviors, as indicators of what is really happening underneath; now as I write it, I suppose this isn’t a very novel thought after all!).
I’ve always liked to think of farming as “growing” a land. If you’re doing it properly, you are definitely growing a soil.
I think what you are describing is the difference between living in nature, and living with nature. My wife was the first to show me the difference. Now even my take on weeds has changed. At our last house, we had a family of garter snakes, known to my four-year-old as our snake friends. He also understood that we don’t want to accidentally corner one and we don’t touch.
As you point out, depending on the type of farming, you are doing and the amount of people you’re trying to provide for, then yes sometimes the production of the food does take priority. But there’s more wiggle room than what the insecticide aisle at Home Depot suggests.
That is a great distinction Shane: living in vs living with nature - and yes I would most certainly be advocating for living with.
Weeds are a fascinating example. Just by calling them weeds instead of by their common name/calling them a wild flower we are conditioning ourselves to dealing with them in a certain way (i.e. pulling them up instead of admiring them). And what a privilege to have snakes on your property! That would be a dream for me.
Forgive me if this is altogether tasteless but I actually posted this yesterday and I just think you may appreciate it. I think what I was attempting to communicate line up well with what you wrote about here. Just thought I’d share it with you.
A truly excellent peace, sir! The lessons you’ve expressed learning here are lessons I have also been learning recently, though I think you articulated them a bit better. I love the thoughtful approach you propose should be present when farming/ gardening. About how every action has consequences you see and many you don’t see. We have to take all of creation into account. Love that perspective. Keep writing my friend! You’re quite good.
A few decades ago, I was turned on to the writing of Michael Pollan with his NYT magazine essay, “Weeds Are Us.” It was the first time someone articulated that we are but a small part of the wondrous larger ecosystem. We call them weeds out of ignorance or hubris.
Exactly! At university on my Conservation degree, I quickly reorientated from calling flowers "weeds" to "wildflowers" and eventually as I learn their names to "groundsel", "speedwell" and "forget-me-nots". Through the knowledge of their names and ecologies, these plants are no longer weeds to me. This transition in vocabulary is essential if we are to live convivially with the wider ecosystems around us. Society needs to make this vocabulary shift.
"live convivially" is my new favorite phrase. It would be excellent on a t-shirt! Names matter. I teach my architecture students to engage with their local stream, literally to introduce themselves to the water as a friend. To sit and listen and smell, hear, feel. They are reluctant at first (as I was initially), but many open up and are amazed.
Agreed, it is such a wonderful and apt phrase. I keep on finding myself using it - I first came across it on L.M. Sacasas' substack https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com
And engaging all the senses is such an important discipline for fostering the convivial mindset - you are a very wise teacher
It was wonderful to have this very centring piece right next to Antonia Malchik’s post on ‘Private Property’ in my inbox; they paired beautifully. Over the years we’ve come to think of all the beings in our garden as co-inhabitants, and we try our best to accommodate for them, within reason (though my beloved is still in a standoff with one particular squirrel). One afternoon we spent hours tending to a Magpie fledgling, and moments later an adult magpie raided a Sparrows nest. Their preferences so different from ours. I realise I haven’t seen a single Cabbage White this year, either…
Thank you, Hadden. I think I’ll paint ‘Humility, restraint and patience’ on a wooden sign for the middle of our vegetable patch.
We were in a stand-off too with a squirrel two years ago who ate half of one of our sunflowers - literally half of the flower was gone! We bought a water pistol to "deal" with this co-inhabitants behaviour!
I like the word co-inhabitant it expresses perfectly what I wanted to get across in this essay. One could even say we borrow our land from nature, which held it first. Our development of the land has resulted in dispossession for creatures, therefore our responsibility is to learn to give back and share what we now claim as our own with those creatures whose co-inhabiting claim is as strong as ours.
This really made me chuckle because that’s exactly how David is ‘handling’ the situation with our squirrel. I mean, half a sunflower…?? Someone could probably write an encyclopaedia of all the standoffs that have unfolded between man and squirrel over time.
And, yes, when I think of ‘our’ land the idea of it being a ‘possession’ becomes more absurd the more I think about it. I look outside and acknowledge that each of the trees, plants, birds and insects that I see have just as much personhood as I do. They are mine only in as much as I am theirs.
“Our development of the land has resulted in dispossession for creatures, therefore our responsibility is to learn to give back and share what we now claim as our own with those creatures whose co-inhabiting claim is as strong as ours.” - I really wish we could restack quotes from comments!!
I asked a neighbor recently as we stood outside tending our respective yards, “What are weeds *really*?” And although that is, in fact, a recognizable category, after some research I found that they are actually readable: a helpful diagnostic for the discerning gardener to read the condition of their soil. Further, they often are protecting or healing the ground beneath to restore its fecundity.
I imagine with some more research we’ll discover that “pests” are much the same.
A beautiful piece, Hadden. Thank you for writing it.
Thank you for your kind words Nate, and I love the idea of "weeds" being indicators of garden/soil health and that weeds have useful functions - that is something I might write about in the future.
You should! I think there are spiritual riches to be mined from the principle, as well (e.g. recognizing certain “weeds” in our thoughts, habits, behaviors, as indicators of what is really happening underneath; now as I write it, I suppose this isn’t a very novel thought after all!).
I’ve always liked to think of farming as “growing” a land. If you’re doing it properly, you are definitely growing a soil.
I think what you are describing is the difference between living in nature, and living with nature. My wife was the first to show me the difference. Now even my take on weeds has changed. At our last house, we had a family of garter snakes, known to my four-year-old as our snake friends. He also understood that we don’t want to accidentally corner one and we don’t touch.
As you point out, depending on the type of farming, you are doing and the amount of people you’re trying to provide for, then yes sometimes the production of the food does take priority. But there’s more wiggle room than what the insecticide aisle at Home Depot suggests.
That is a great distinction Shane: living in vs living with nature - and yes I would most certainly be advocating for living with.
Weeds are a fascinating example. Just by calling them weeds instead of by their common name/calling them a wild flower we are conditioning ourselves to dealing with them in a certain way (i.e. pulling them up instead of admiring them). And what a privilege to have snakes on your property! That would be a dream for me.
https://open.substack.com/pub/danielpetty/p/cardinal-rose?r=1hp78a&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Forgive me if this is altogether tasteless but I actually posted this yesterday and I just think you may appreciate it. I think what I was attempting to communicate line up well with what you wrote about here. Just thought I’d share it with you.
No problem Daniel! I love it when writers share their work with me - your reflections made me chuckle and smile :)
A truly excellent peace, sir! The lessons you’ve expressed learning here are lessons I have also been learning recently, though I think you articulated them a bit better. I love the thoughtful approach you propose should be present when farming/ gardening. About how every action has consequences you see and many you don’t see. We have to take all of creation into account. Love that perspective. Keep writing my friend! You’re quite good.
A few decades ago, I was turned on to the writing of Michael Pollan with his NYT magazine essay, “Weeds Are Us.” It was the first time someone articulated that we are but a small part of the wondrous larger ecosystem. We call them weeds out of ignorance or hubris.
Exactly! At university on my Conservation degree, I quickly reorientated from calling flowers "weeds" to "wildflowers" and eventually as I learn their names to "groundsel", "speedwell" and "forget-me-nots". Through the knowledge of their names and ecologies, these plants are no longer weeds to me. This transition in vocabulary is essential if we are to live convivially with the wider ecosystems around us. Society needs to make this vocabulary shift.
"live convivially" is my new favorite phrase. It would be excellent on a t-shirt! Names matter. I teach my architecture students to engage with their local stream, literally to introduce themselves to the water as a friend. To sit and listen and smell, hear, feel. They are reluctant at first (as I was initially), but many open up and are amazed.
Agreed, it is such a wonderful and apt phrase. I keep on finding myself using it - I first came across it on L.M. Sacasas' substack https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com
And engaging all the senses is such an important discipline for fostering the convivial mindset - you are a very wise teacher
I made two mock-ups for a t-shirt, but just realized I can't share images here. I could email?
Why not put them in "Notes"? Then we can restack them for the world to see :) (I think you can share images there).
DUH! Still new at this. . . . will tag you. 😊
It was wonderful to have this very centring piece right next to Antonia Malchik’s post on ‘Private Property’ in my inbox; they paired beautifully. Over the years we’ve come to think of all the beings in our garden as co-inhabitants, and we try our best to accommodate for them, within reason (though my beloved is still in a standoff with one particular squirrel). One afternoon we spent hours tending to a Magpie fledgling, and moments later an adult magpie raided a Sparrows nest. Their preferences so different from ours. I realise I haven’t seen a single Cabbage White this year, either…
Thank you, Hadden. I think I’ll paint ‘Humility, restraint and patience’ on a wooden sign for the middle of our vegetable patch.
We were in a stand-off too with a squirrel two years ago who ate half of one of our sunflowers - literally half of the flower was gone! We bought a water pistol to "deal" with this co-inhabitants behaviour!
I like the word co-inhabitant it expresses perfectly what I wanted to get across in this essay. One could even say we borrow our land from nature, which held it first. Our development of the land has resulted in dispossession for creatures, therefore our responsibility is to learn to give back and share what we now claim as our own with those creatures whose co-inhabiting claim is as strong as ours.
This really made me chuckle because that’s exactly how David is ‘handling’ the situation with our squirrel. I mean, half a sunflower…?? Someone could probably write an encyclopaedia of all the standoffs that have unfolded between man and squirrel over time.
And, yes, when I think of ‘our’ land the idea of it being a ‘possession’ becomes more absurd the more I think about it. I look outside and acknowledge that each of the trees, plants, birds and insects that I see have just as much personhood as I do. They are mine only in as much as I am theirs.
“Our development of the land has resulted in dispossession for creatures, therefore our responsibility is to learn to give back and share what we now claim as our own with those creatures whose co-inhabiting claim is as strong as ours.” - I really wish we could restack quotes from comments!!
My mom has grown an organic garden for over 30 years and one of her secrets is: plant enough to share with the bugs!
As for the lawn grown wild concept, my husband is all for that 😆
Plant enough to share with the bugs - I like that! (and my wife would complain I do that already with the number of tomato plants I have...!)