Plant Your Garden According to Bird Migration
 (Read 50+ times)
By Agnes Farside
|
|
|
Many gardeners will use many different signs to plant their gardens. Some use the phases of the moon, position of the stars, or plant when all danger of frost has passed. Weather plays a big part when a gardener starts putting out plants. However, there are a few gardeners who plant their gardens according to the return of the native birds that thrive in their area. This past spring and summer I watched the migratory birds in my area to see if my planting aligned with their return. It did not, which might account for why my garden did not do as well as I had hoped this past season.
My region had an exceptionally cool and wet spring, with below normal temperatures registering well into June, causing me to rush between the rainfalls to get my garden planted. Perhaps if I had watched the nature that surrounded me, particularly the birds, I might have planted a little later and had a higher yield from my vegetables.
Hummingbirds usually appear at my house in mid to late April. However, this year they did not show their fluttering little bodies until mid May. If they arrived earlier in the area, I am not sure. I only know they were not at my house or anywhere else, I might have observed them. This should have been my first warning not to plant my garden, had I been watching nature more closely.
I have since learned, through watching and reading, that birds are a good indication of when you should plant specific plants. Planting your garden according to bird migration is not always a sure thing. Sometimes even birds are fouled by the weather. A gardener must watch for other signs as well, such as the weather and moon phases.
Here is a list of what a gardener might want to plant when a specific bird migrates north for the summer months.
-Plant onion sets and peas when the Goldfinches return.
-Lettuce, carrot, and radish seeds are best started when the Robin makes his spring debut.
-The Fox sparrow is a sign to plant cabbage and pansy plants.
-The appearance of the house wren and purple martin means it is time to plant dill, cosmos, and bachelor’s buttons.
-Seeing the first hummingbirds and orioles in the sky, means it is time to plant annual and perennial flower seeds as well as lily and cannas bulbs.
-Plant corn, squash, cucumbers, herbs, peppers, geraniums, tomatoes, zucchini, and beans when the rose-breasted grosbeak appears.
So, before you get the urge to start putting those seeds in the ground, look around you and see what birds are nearby.
|
Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 Please view my other articles as:
http://www.associatedcontent.comuser/110407/agnes_farside.html
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
