St. Patrick's Day marks the march into spring

By By Steve Strong / area horticulture extension agent
March 17, 2004
The official first day of spring 2004 is Saturday, also known as the vernal equinox when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are the same length.
Mother Nature seems to have proclaimed spring early by a few weeks, and judging from the bumper crop of shamrocks and clovers covering lawns and flower beds she must be a big fan of St. Patrick.
The legends of St. Patrick range from tales of driving all of the snakes from Ireland, a continent known to be snake-free since the end of the Ice Age, to raising people from the dead in an effort of Christian conversion. While many stories are of dubious account, the most famous and most credible is the conversion of the King of Ireland and his subjects via the symbol of the trifoliate shamrock.
When asked to show proof of how God could possibly exist in three ways, Maewyn (the birth name given to Patrick when he was born as a pagan) plucked a shamrock from the ground and noted its connection of three leaves to a single stem. Perhaps ranking as the briefest explanation in the history of the Trinity, but what a perfect way to relate the simplicity of creation in the form of a lowly legume.
If only it were as simple to explain the other complexities of life, especially the ones concerning the spring trinity of gardening (namely earth, sky and greenery). In this case, earth symbolizes the soil and all its creatures, sky stands for the weather including temperature and rainfall, and greenery means living plants whether they are unwanted weeds or the prized cultivated variety.
Alas, the connections between these three are nearly as infinite as creation itself, but there is always a method of simplifying things. First, consider the soil as a living breathing entity, complete with its own food chain of microbes, earthworms, and other critters that feed themselves and each other. A healthy balance is the key, the same as with human nutrition.
Just like people eating too much rich food or trying to supplement sedentary lifestyles with overdoses of vitamins and dietary supplements, the soil requires everything in moderation to grow a healthy food chain. Also, the right mixture of mineral particles (structure and texture), along with adequate moisture (for circulation) and air movement (respiration for roots) are essential.
Now bring in the weather factors such as temperature that determines which plants thrive at certain times of the year, and thus when is the best time to plant, feed, water, prune or control weed competition. Remember that rainfall along with the watering hose or irrigation system has significant effects on all of these other growth factors (including pests like disease and insects).
Last, consider the vast array of flora that the creator (regardless of religious affiliation) has placed on this planet to nurture and reap the benefits therein. Anyone who thinks all of this stuff is just a cosmic accident needs to spend more time watching a bee or butterfly visiting a flower bloom or better, a child watching the wonder of both.
When you ponder these latter few items, think hard about your place in the world and its impact on the environment, and realize that every fertilizer, pesticide, or plant you choose to garden with leaves a footprint. The impact can be light or heavy, temporary or residual, harmful or beneficial, depending on your action and your point of view.
When you sometimes forget or don't understand how all this stuff is connected, recall the Trinity and hail Saint Patrick. And remember, spring is just getting started and there's a lot of growing to do between now and the end of the year. There is also plenty of time to make up for past mistakes, and to get growing on the right track.