Our Farm Became a Certified Wildlife Habitat

About a month ago, our little family farm applied to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the State of Washington. We're so pleased to announce that the farm has been accepted, and we've since received a sign to hang outside. 

By doing this, we are committing to following guidelines to improve habitat and help nature thrive. We started in that direction simply because we love nature and are excited to see so many pollinators, birds, and wild animals on and around the farm. Plants, animals, birds, pollinators, insects, and other living organisms that live in this world need healthy places to live. As we've begun following some of the steps to make our land more inviting to the birds, pollinators, and animals, we've seen a greater variety of creatures and in greater numbers.

Our most recent purchase was a birdbath for the front yard. It took a few days for the birds to start using it. The most unusual birds to make use of it so far are some crows. I wish I had my phone at the time so I could take pictures of them, as it was funny to see those giant birds splashing around in it and drinking from it.

We've also had success this year feeding the hummingbirds. There are so many hummers around here right now. They are enjoying all the flowers on the farm, especially the runner beans with their bright red flowers.

This is the first year I've grown this variety of runner beans. Donor tomatoes and dill are growing among them.

At this point in the summer, all the spring crops have bolted and flowered. The summer crops are not quite ready for harvest, although most have set their fruit, and we should have something to harvest in another week or so. We let everything bolt and go to seed to help feed the birds, and also so that any seeds that fall to the ground will grow more next year. I'm a rather lazy gardener, and we have plenty of space, so this works for me.

Above, we left some of the artichoke for the birds and pollinators to enjoy. They should form flowers soon. The leeks are also about to flower in the bottom-right corner. There's also some gigantic Swiss chard (it's over 7 feet tall), above on the far right, that is covered with seeds.

Calendula, with its pretty yellow and orange flowers, is growing everywhere, having re-seeded itself from prior years. It's even serving as a support structure for the fava beans, which are growing right behind it on the middle cattle panel above.

During the spring, the calendula was starting to crowd out my peas, so I had to pull some of the flowers out. Otherwise, for the most part, I've let it grow where it wants this year. There's also quite a bit of borage (the blue flowers) growing around the garden, and it's also here because it has re-seeded itself from prior years.

Both summer and winter squash, along with bush beans and a variety of flowers, are growing toward the lower end of the garden. You can also see a tall marshmallow plant in the upper-left corner of the photo, with its pinkish-white flowers.

While our original focus with the garden was to grow crops to feed ourselves, a side benefit and perhaps even the best part of it is that it has become a haven for wildlife. There are so many flowers, seeds, and areas with dense foliage that provide food and shelter for all kinds of birds and pollinators. Snakes, frogs, and other creatures also hang out here. I have a few shallow watering stations placed beneath the vegetation, and I try to add water every day, with all these little creatures in mind. On a warm summer day, the garden is full of activity, with birds darting around and lots of bees buzzing. Occasionally, a snake slithers out. It feels so alive and magical out there.

Another effort we've made recently is moving our patio furniture onto the front lawn to help encourage us to use it more often. It had been sitting on the back patio, but that is where we walk to go to the chicken coop, and it gets too dirty back there to enjoy sitting and eating. We've had one barbecue so far and really enjoyed sitting out there under the canopy of the deodar cedar tree.

One other adventure that sort of relates to the wildlife habitat certification is that I recently attended a foraging walk hosted by well-known naturalist Robin Greenfield. He was in our area (actually, Port Townsend), and so I jumped on the chance to see him in person and go along on the walk. He also had us gather a few times to sit in a meadow and discuss foraging-related topics. (Robin is the one wearing the brown knit hat below.)

When I attended the session, I went there thinking that I knew very little about foraging. Amazingly, though, I discovered that I already knew and could easily identify most of the plants we explored, including pineapple weed, dock, stinging nettle, plantain, cleavers, mustard, common mallow, blackberry, and dandelion. The ones that were new to me included wild lettuce, shepherd's purse, and lamb's quarter. After attending this session, my thoughts are now reinforced on the subject of weeds: I feel there is really no need to remove any of these kinds of beneficial weeds from the yard and garden, unless they are crowding out something else that you are trying to grow. These weeds serve as an alternative food and medicine for humans (if we should ever need them) and provide food for native birds, insects, animals, and other creatures. We really need to rethink the idea of a manicured green lawn. A manicured green lawn might look nice, but it is essentially a wasteland to wildlife. It's far better for nature to opt out of the chemicals used to keep the lawn green and let the weeds grow.