Gourmet gardening for wildlife

Traditionally, fruit and veg growers view wildlife as something that should be prevented from eating the food we grow for ourselves. We net berries to protect them from birds, remove ‘cabbage white’ caterpillars from our brassicas. We lay traps for things like earwigs and expose soil grubs so that birds might feast on them before they can do any damage. Some growers haven’t got the memo about insect declines and still use harmful bug sprays.

But what if we learned to share, or even deliberately planted crops that could be used by us and wildlife? I realise I may be in the minority here, but one of my favourite things about growing food is sharing it. I’m happy to share my soft fruit with the birds – my cherry trees produce more than I would know what to do with, and there are enough blackberries, raspberries and tayberries to go around. I laugh at the caterpillars eating my brassicas and I always leave some to flower, along with some ‘spare’ parsnips and onions, so there’s food for pollinators in spring.

If I cut only half of my herbs such as mint, oregano, chives and thyme, I can encourage flowers to grow for bees and butterflies, and if I avoid cutting back the mildewed leaves of my courgettes I provide food for 22-spot ladybirds. There is a line between providing food for wildlife and having your crop destroyed, and only you can decide where that line sits. For me, there’s not really a line. I’m happy for other species to enjoy the food I grow and I go out of my way to provide a little bit more for them. I may have a reduced crop, but I never lose a crop – one of the great things about gardening for wildlife is knowing the ecosystem will take care of itself. This means there’s always something for everyone.