HAZARDS IN THE GARDEN

HAZARDS IN THE GARDEN

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

27/II/2025

“Safety” while gardening should be a concern for all garden lovers. Most of us who indulge in this hobby love to get their hands soiled in dirt. It gives a great feeling. One gets emotionally connected to the earth. The smell of the soil and its texture is so good to feel.

If we watch gardening videos of foreign origin, people wear gloves and other safety gear while at it. Mostly, to keep their hands free from getting soiled. The skin bears the maximum brunt as it gets scaled and abrased. For me, after washing my hands thoroughly, a coat of ‘Sarson ka Tel’ works. Moisturisers are too mild.

Besides, while in the garden, there are many hazards which come your way too. Let me elaborate.

Gloves do help in saving you from various ‘pricks’. Thorns are common, if you shoved valentine day roses in the compost bin. Sometimes, a tiny piece of wood pricks you and gets stuck under the skin. We call it ‘Phaans’. It is quite painful and hard to pull out. Protective gear does help.

Safety shoes, safety goggles and gardener’s apron are not my cup of tea. I think, if one wears all that it consumes more time which can be devoted to tasks in the garden. For me, it is bare hands and bare feet. Period!

Sometimes wearing slippers outdoors can be dicey and has its own perils. Skidding and slipping on ‘wet soil’ is one. Sometimes if the ground is drenched, chances of footwear getting stuck and you toppling over are there. One has to be careful to avoid falls at this age.

Dangers lurk in the garden everywhere. Snakes appear out of the blue in summer months. They come to cool themselves in damp patches or shade. A keen eye and stamping the ground helps them to move away and avoid a bite, unless you step on it.

As a young Captain in the Army after having handled Cobras while undergoing commando training, encouraged us to find snakes while posted in the desert sector. Snakes and scorpions were very common there. Chances of finding a ‘nest of scorpions’ under your ground sheet or an odd deadly viper relaxing were very common.

We would demonstrate to our troops how to handle snakes and sometimes catch them and have them served for evening snacks. One of our company commanders got so offended that he went and reported the matter to the CO. That story some other day.

Bees and bugs create havoc too. Bee stings can be nasty. People allergic to stings might get fever and puffy eyes. A bite of a black or a white ant can ‘smart’ for a long time. One has to be careful while feeding the fish. Bees swarm the tubs in swarms to take water to their hives. Their loud humming so close can give you the creeps.

Sometimes, unknowingly, you step near a ‘bird chick’ that has fallen from its nest. Parents are bound to get agitated and attack sometimes. Crows have a nasty habit of diving and pulling out a tuft of hair from your head. I have faced such attacks many times and ran for cover to avoid hair being plucked. A cap helps but nasty crows can take it off.

‘Uneven’ ground is the biggest hazard. Chances of getting disbalanced are quite high. Gardening tools and tackles lying haphazardly can also give a cut. I have been lucky, touch wood.

Today, I had a chance encounter with a centipede while repotting our water lilies. There was a bucket full of garden soil, which is basically rested mud. As I was scooping mud to refill, I saw a brown, transparent and a multi legged centipede loitering around. They have a deadly bite they say.

I didn’t want to hurt it, so in one scoop I picked it up and left it to one side and forgot about it. Assuming that it would go and hide under the lily tubs, it got off my mind. I thought of checking the time on the mobile as I was tired. I found that creepy crawly roaming on my wrist like it was GT road.

“Ek click to banta tha”. Not me but the centipede was in panic. Firstly, my hand was totally unknown territory. Then the obstacles of hair on my arm were impeding its move. Then it had no place to hide, rather was exposed to direct sunlight which they cannot stand. Before it decided to dig its fangs, I went to a side and jerked my arm hard. It fell off and disappeared again. Hope to meet it when it is fully grown.

There are umpteen hazards in the garden. Have you ever confronted a deadly centipede up close? I wonder!!!!!