"And be sensitive to ecological systems so that you can learn to cooperate with Nature," said Patrick. "If you can recognize the benefits of these plants, then it's no longer about "those darn weeds.'"
Participants observed that some of the plants grew around trees. Some had flowers. Some had long taproots. Some grew in the cracks of the streets. But the question was: how did all these plants get there considering that these fields were once neighborhoods with houses and lawns.
After the participants took a stab at these questions, Patrick guided them to a discussion about biennials, which have a better seeding process. Perennials were mowed down first from grazing animals and then by mechanized grass cutters, he said. Besides, these plants provide the nutrients our bodies need and they have coevolved with us.
(Coevolution is an important concept for gardeners to understand because it implies that one species is dependent on another for survival. Bumblebees, for example, rely on the flowers for their nectar and the flowers are dependent on the bees to spread their pollen. Each species exerts selective pressures on each other that are adaptive so that they can reproduce successfully and pass on vital traits to their progeny that affect their own evolution.)
"People in Detroit don't think we have a lot of wildflowers, but we do," said Patrick.
In fact, 90 percent of what grows in this area was brought here by the Europeans when they first settled these lands, said Julie. The broadleaf, dandelion and chicory were all imported plants. So were the bees, which coevolve with these plants. Because they had no predators, they've been able to endure.
Sunflowers, however, were native plants and one of the first to be cultivated. Peppers, tomatoes, beans and squash were all native plants that are self-pollinating. Corn is pollinated by the wind. Magnolia trees are pollinated by beetles and they developed before bees were around.
"In growing gardens, the plants do best in polycultures rather than monocultures and we can see that across the street where there are apple trees, grapes, grasses, currents, gooseberries, trees and vines. This is a permaculture design," he said.
Permaculture, a word coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s (permanent + agriculture), is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structures and interrelationships found in the natural ecologies of an area. Consequently, permaculture is a definite move away from industrial systems of production and distribution that are systematically destroying the Earth's ecosystems.
"Nature always wants to plant something in order to hold the soils," said Patrick, "so the best way you can improve your soil is to grow stuff in it."
So, what I gathered from this short workshop is that we need all living things around us in order to live. That includes the plants, the trees, the animals, the insects and the "weeds." As an ignorant, non-science person, I had not studied these things beyond my ninth grade biology class. I had denied myself of all of these wonders of Nature!
However, on this warm summer evening together with some of Detroit's best community gardeners, I came to understand our earth's environment in a new way and was inspired to know more. However, dusk would soon turn into night and I had a 2.5 hour drive back to Kalamazoo ahead of me. Curiously, I felt satisfied, happy and speechlessly stunned by the past two hours.
In reflecting on my experience I soon realized that just being in the garden, among growing and living things--especially among people who love and care about plants and are hungry to learn more about them--had made a difference in my day. I recognized this same endorphin rush a couple times before as I rode my bike among the wildflowers in a nearby preserve.
Can it be that disconnecting ourselves from Nature affects us negatively? Especially for those of us who live in a city? Are we cutting ourselves off from healthy living by insisting on speed, convenience, cleanliness and packaged foods? My experience tonight taught me that spending some time in a garden--even in a devastated city like Detroit--does make a difference. What would happen if I actually dug in the dirt? That will be my next experiment.
This article was posted on EnergyBulletin.net on October 16, 2009
