A healthy garden should be full of life. You should have birds, lizards, frogs, tons of bugs and earthworms. Don’t worry about aphids, snails and cut worms. If you leave things alone, the predators will take care of all your problems. Healthy plants can withstand the onslaught long enough for Mother Nature to balance the ecology of the garden.

If you really feel the need to “do something” about the plant eaters, buy snails that eat snails, lady bugs and wash your plants down with a combination of soap (not detergent) and cayenne pepper.

Do not, I repeat, do not buy praying mantises (manti?). I did that once and by the end of the summer, the only insect left alive in the garden was one very large and very tame female mantis.

Other good garden projects for kids are turnips, radishes, carrots and beets. Tomatoes and zucchini are easy to grow, but need some space, support and lots of sun. You will find out what does well where by experimenting.

Put a tiny grain of nothing in the ground, and get food! That is what I call real magick!