Happy Earth Day April 22, 2021. For me, I’m constantly finding more about the world around me and well, my take away is when we don’t seek to be curious about the world, the more we will fear or be ignorant of the connections that bind us.

He may look like he’s doing a nice thing, but the cheeky bugger is courting the apple tree to cross pollinate with all those flowers and make some Dandy Apples. XD

Awhile ago, I mentioned that rather than removing the “weed” that dandelions should be invited as a part of a garden, not only for herbal benefits but for it’s ecological benefits as well. And dandelions are considered companion plants that benefit surrounding plants:

Dandelion flowers attract a wide range of beneficial insects. Bees, hoverflies, and butterflies all enjoy the sweet nectar. Put dandelions near plants that flower such as beans, apples, clover, and tomatoes so they can enjoy the benefits. Dandelions naturally produce ethylene gas which causes fruits to ripen.

The dandelions tap roots are also a great benefit to surrounding plants. These roots can grow up to ten inches long and bring up valuable nutrients such as copper from deep in the soil. They also break up the hardpan in heavy soils making an easier path for your other vegetables to follow.

And since the plant is capable of digging deep into the earth and pulling in nutrients, when the plant dies down or is put into a compost pile, it adds a lot of nutrients into the top soil.