Dear LPG, 

I have to start by saying that my idea of gardening comprises getting the mower out as few times as possible each spring and summer as is needed for allowing visiting eyes to see a fairly tidy space from a distance. I would go as far as to say that it is only when I look through one of the back facing upstairs windows in my house and compare the state of my lawn with the well-kept ones either side, that shame will often be the inspiration that forces me to get my mower out.   I am the sort of gardener who is more interested in keeping my little green space tolerably tidy rather than anything else. 

I have tried to get down and dirty with my short-handled garden tools, but it is the bugs and little moving things that have always really put me off, and now that my knees are making getting to a lower level more challenging, I think that having that as an added excuse not to is one of the few advantages.   The minute I see something crawling, I am seriously ready to give up any further thoughts of gardening for the day.  

The thought of thousands of ants can put me right off even sitting on the grass on a warm summers day while just knowing that slugs, beetles, spiders, snails and especially worms might decide on a journey through my clothing.  This is the real off-putting factor that comes between me and nature.  I try my best to respect that their homes are out there and, although all God’s creatures have a right to have a home, I would rather not commune with them too closely for too long at any one time.

The other bugs are worrying enough but, although I would not intentionally harm any of them, watching a worm wiggle can keep me out of the garden for weeks. 

I have always been happy to leave food out for the bird’s but, I recently read about just how much compost heaps and kitchen scraps can help.  I have learned a little about how all those crawling things help our gardens, especially the vegetable gardens, produce wholesome and healthy greens for the table and I decided that there might be a reason to keep a bit of food back for them too.  A wormy compost heap anywhere within the confines of my boundary fence is something that I still cannot bring myself to try, but burying some of your kitchen waste below your flower beds is supposed to be a way forward. 

I am a bit braver now that cheaper, more protective gardening gloves have evolved and become more accessible, and two layers on each hand give me a little more confidence when it comes to getting closer to the earth.  I go for a thin cotton pair covered by one of those thicker pairs with the rubber fronts.   They limit the power of finger-movement but I find that that is overshadowed by the confidence I feel when remembering that my fingers are protected. 

Since retiring, and particularly during those years of house arrest, I think that I have found the time to look at my plot in more detail and I even tried to be more aware of what happens out there.  Digging in the odd fruit-peelings and egg shells that I used to throw in the bin appears to have made a difference to this year’s tomatoes. 

After all, according to one bit of information I read, an earthworm’s life expectancy is only about 1/10 of ours, but while I know that they get as close to my plants as they do the ones grown professionally, I think I will continue to give my garden produce away and eat the ones I buy at the grocers... 

JS, Deptford 

JS shares what she has learned about the good that the worms of the earth can do but warns those who find the wiggly aspect of looking at them daunting to be careful…

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