Fresh greens are sprouting up all over the garden. We planted spinach and lettuce over a month ago and now their finally taking off. A few years ago we planted arugula and let it go to seed. Now it sprouts up in the oddest corners of the garden, under rocks and near trees. So I made our first garden salad with spinach, lettuce, curly cress and arugula. It was fantastic to taste the vitality of our nutrient rich leafy greens.

While watering the garden yesterday by hand with a hose, I notice a bold little sparrow. He must of have been young because he was not intimidated by my presence. In fact he was drawn to the lovely rain shower I was creating to water the plants. He hopped under the spray of water and started pecking for worms and bugs. This made me think of the environment we have been working to create which has been inspired by the ideals of permaculture.  We have a water feature in the form of a bird bath which attracts the birds and bugs also helps regulate the temperatures. We let the garden go to seed so that the plants will flower and attract the bees for pollination. And we have planted many fruit trees (17 to be exact) and berry bushes to create shade. Creating a natural habitat allows for a healthy ecosystem where all living organisms, plants and animals and insects will thrive and do their jobs. In the end this means more fruits and veggies and less work for us.