It seems odd to connect ethics with soil. I doubt that bacteria, fungi, and nematodes spend much time debating the ethics of eating each other. Mostly they just react to what’s around them. If it happens to be food, they ingest it. If they sense a predator, they move – if they can. Otherwise, they sit and wait … until they sense food or until they become food. Such is the simple life of the microorganisms. Ethics come into play only when they interact with us, the human population. Very few other species (at least, that I know of) can – or are willing to take the time – to ponder the implications of their actions. Maybe that’s what makes us unique. More than just unique, it makes us responsible for what we do.

Now that spring is here, many of us are thinking green. Planting time has arrived. We are lining up on the starting blocks, shaking our hands, feet, and neck to get loose. We are looking through the seed catalogues, making mental notes about what we will plant, where we will plant, and what we will add to the soil to make our plants grow.  All these considerations affect the soil organisms that exist below the ground. There’s a delicate balance of micro- and macro-organisms in the soil that ultimately affects the product we harvest at the end of the growing season. And the gentle fabric we call the soil food web quickly unravels when we add amendments or disturbances to the soil.

Through all the preparation, we need to keep in mind that, if we are planting in real soil, we are interacting with foreign populations that, unbeknownst to them (and to some of us), have our best interests at heart (our hearts, not theirs).

To that end, we need to find alternatives to the use of commercial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, energy-intensive methods of planting, and disruptions to the life cycles of the organisms in the jungle that exist below ground. Spring provides the opportunity to start anew. Even if we abused the soil last year, saturating the soil with commercial fertilizer, killing off beneficial bugs in an attempt to get the perfect unblemished vegetable, breaking family ties (the hyphae that mycorrhizae fungi extend from roots in order to capture more nutrients), we can start over. In spring, Nature extends a hand in peace and offers us a chance to make amends.

The message is clear. Continued use of energy intensive input (tilling, use of commercial fertilizers) and pesticides/herbicides, is not sustainable – to us and certainly not to life below ground.

There are alternatives though. I am not referring to the use of biological chemicals and “natural” pesticides/herbicides. I am suggesting instead that we work with the existing populations of micro- and macro-organisms in the soil and the environment to establish a balance between “pests” and “weeds” on the one side, and our expectations of what harvest should look like on the other. We can hold in check “pests” and “weeds,” but we should never attempt to wipe them out. They perform a vital function to preserving the balance of power in the ecosystem.

I am not one of those who claim that “weeds” are just a matter of perspective. Weeds have specific characteristics that make them undesirable in anyone’s field. If native to an area, they are the early stage growth of plant succession. They are born to breed. They produce hundreds, if not thousands, of seeds from each plant. They have, in most cases, a shallow root system, so they don’t do much for soil development. They are nuisances because they crowd out other growth. But they exist for a reason, and they thrive in soils with poor structure and low soil organic matter. If you’re plagued with weeds, blame yourself, not the soil.

But they can be controlled by competition with desirable plants. Neat rows may look impressive, but Nature doesn’t grow its greenery in straight lines or as single crops (monocultures). Plants grow randomly. In addition, there’s a lot of diversity in what Nature offers to the world at any one time and in any one location.

That being said, we often have to strike a balance between what Nature sees as practical and sustainable and the degree of disorder that we are willing to tolerate in our plantings. Sometimes we have to find compromises. This is where trap crops, companion plantings, and cover crops come into play.

Where practical, the use of companion plantings is acceptable. This type of planting involves growing noncompeting crops together. An example would be tomatoes with peas and radishes. Tomatoes are nitrogen intensive, peas fix atmospheric nitrogen, radishes “mine” and store soil nutrients. All are harvestable.

However, more often than not, we just have to bite the bullet and accept that not everything we grow is going to be harvestable. We have to accept that some crops will have to be left in the field to serve as food for the “pests” both below and above the ground. These are the trap crops. Sunflower, marigold, sorghum, and buckwheat are examples of crops that can be used to steer aphids, Colorado potato beetles, and stink bugs away from harvestable crops. Some (sorghum and buckwheat, for example) also provide significant biomass that can be used to build soil organic matter, which is critical for healthy soil (feeding the herd below grade) and to shading out weeds.

Ultimately, we are stewards of the land. Whether we are planting 100 acres or the backyard garden, we assume responsibility for how we manage the land and what we put into the soil. We are responsible for ensuring that we have enough soil organic matter in the soil; that soil is not lost due to runoff; or that minerals do not leach to groundwater. Herein lie the ethics. We can practice our stewardship in an ethical manner or we can squander resources and, in the process, destroy the life around us and within our fences. It’s our choice.

Eli Gottfried of Eau Claire is proprietor of Gottfried Environmental and a master gardener.