Embracing the Slowness of Observation

A GARDEN BEGINS WITH INTENTION

There is a certain optimism required in gardening. An inherent belief in future growth: that dreams, and flowers and food can come into form in this world from nothing more than tiny seeds put into the earth with purpose.

We have grown many types of gardens over the years. Flower beds, vegetable patches, raised beds, straw bale gardening, front yard gardening, rain gardens and forest gardening. Each started with a kind of vision, a plan and a purpose. Some were admitted experiments, others were grand visions set to pen and paper with a box of seed packets. When you garden, you begin with a sense of what you’d like to bring about, knowing that as a gardener, you have the power to actually bring it forth. Until perhaps, nature participates a well. That’s where observation comes in.

OBSERVATION IS A QUIET, MORE PASSIVE ACT

I wish I could say we were diligent in those first years with a notebook and pen, scribbling our learnings, but we mostly just sat on some large rocks and watched the cardinals jump around, and the way the tomatoes were leaning, and whether or not the cabbage needed any attention. And slowly we realized that by being present in the garden, we were more attuned to the energy of the plants and the elements around them. There was resting from the labor, peaceful breathing and being in the moment. We were observing without meaning to — tricked into doing homework and liking it. We learned to love those quiet moments of observation, and to rely on them. Over the years they have saved energy, and time, and most importantly, plants and resources thrived because we paused to notice their rhythms.

FOREST GARDENS DEPEND ON OBSERVATION IN ORDER TO THRIVE

As we've learned more about Permaculture, we know that observation is one of the first and most important activities in any holistic system. It's an important step to take because we acknowledge that we are not engaging with a blank slate, but rather a system of plants and animals, fungi and minerals and sun, rain, and wind that are already working together. By observing, we can support the partnerships that are already in motion, and establish new dynamics that help to cultivate abundance across the system.

If you have a small raised garden bed, set out in full sun and supplied with fresh soil and veggie plants from the nursery — you’ve brought in the elements perfectly curated to your seasonal needs. But a forest system is an entirely different project. It has a complex system already in motion — one you’re joining. And it will resist anything that disrupts its rhythms, and embrace anything that moves with it. Observation is critical to the success of any forest activity.

ALLOW OBSERVATION TO TAKE TIME, OVER SEASONS

The patience to wait on projects can be challenging when you’re eager to enact a vision, but observation is worth it. We try to only take on one or two projects a season, to allow time for observation and for the forest to adjust. Seasonal observations can be meditations as well. Wander the paths in the mornings, and build little forts and sit on old stumps. Stand out in the rain. Each time we do these little wanderings we notice something new about the forest floor: a plant, or seed, or mushroom, or animal house. Mild, accidental observations that were telling us stories about the forest. Here are a few observations we make seasonally:

Spring observations

Where the snow melts first and last. Which plants come up first, and last. When the birds return, which ones and where they nest. Which plants the rabbits and squirrels prefer. What fell down or needs mending. The pattern of the sun before the tree canopy is grown in. Which trees leaf out first. Trees that got chewed on. Plants that didn’t make it through the winter. The texture of the soil. The smell of it. How many creatures are in there.

Summer observations

The pattern of the sunlight as it shifts to a full canopy. Where the animal’s paths are in the canopy and on the ground. Which fungi, where and when they flush. Whether or not a clump of herbs moved itself or stayed in place from a previous year. Any new animals to the forest from the previous years. Any missing animals. How much rain. Where it falls, where it flows, where it stays. When it rains. How often. Any new paths through the forest established by animals or plants from previous years. The sounds at different times of day. Evidence of night creatures such as bats, owls, frogs, possum, raccoon. Differences in plant health year to year. Plants that are too crowded. Plants that don’t want to fill in. The mood of the trees - the interaction of the tree canopy. Wind — how much, when, how often, where. When the wind is in the forest or above in the canopy. The behavior of forest animals before a storm, during, and after. Branches that fall after a storm. Where they land. What animals do with fallen items after a storm. Which plants the pollinators prefer, and what time of day. Where the wild ducks prefer to sleep, and forage. Where the tree frogs sleep, and when and where they hide, and when and where they sun.

Autumn observations

The pattern of the squirrels planting. What they seek out, what they store, where they plant it. The first trees to let go of leaves, the last ones, when. How much rain, and when. Any items needing mending or storing before winter. Where the animals start to build their new burrows. Migration paths and the last goodbyes - when. Which fungi, where and when they flush. The mood of the trees. The interaction of the tree canopies. The shape and health of tree bark. Soil that is bare or covered. Where leaves fall. Where the wind blows leaves. Where they clump and settle. How animals interact with leaves and branches that fall. The natural mulch of the forest. How the forest tucks itself in. Animals for winter. Blankets for the forest floor. Where the insects sleep and when each species tucks in for winter.

Winter observations

The pattern of the sun through an open canopy. The pathway of the wind. The fierceness of the wind. The shape of the snowdrifts. How much snowfall. Where. How high is the snow, what access this gives the animals to trees. Where. Animal burrows that are dormant. Animal burrows that are active. Where the animals establish pathways. What the animals forage in winter. Where they store it. What they move around as they seek food. Where they fertilize. What time of day they move. What they do before, during and after a storm. Which plants are active in the winter. Which plants are sleeping.

RESIST THE URGE TO INTERACT

It can be difficult not to immediately add to the forest with a full design of plants, landscaping or even pathways. But we have learned that whatever plans you might have, the forest will unmake them if you don’t begin with observation. If you have a design for a pathway but it is placed right in the damp puddle zone of spring snowmelt, interferes with forest burrows, is placed where the autumn leaves cluster or the snow drifts settle then you are designing more work that the forest will ultimately reclaim. It’s not that it can’t be done. Of course you can do it. And in some ways the forest will adjust and realign with that choice. And in others it will laugh at you. But for the most efficient system — observe the patterns, then interact. By choosing 1 or 2 projects a season you give the forest time to adjust to ‘test’ whether your plan enhances the system or disrupts it.

FOREST MEDITATION AS A PRACTICE

One of our favorite ways to think about observation is that it is a rest. When you’re in the garden or the forest, the tasks can add up and fill the day. It can feel strange to sit down and do nothing. Give yourself a spot to sit — perhaps a soft slope that allows you to view the system all together. Or the best place to look up and see the canopy. Find a favorite stump to study fungi and insects. We’ve found that these little observations, these little meditations can be one of the greatest gifts the forest brings us.