THE COASTAL GARDENER:

“Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads.”

— Henry David Thoreau

As odd as it may seem, digging in the soil — on hands and knees — is nearly a lost art.

A generation ago whole families would put on their jeans, lace up some old shoes and head out into the garden to plant — real planting. They may have started out standing up.

With a shovel in hand, dad would turn over the soil while others grabbed the weeds and other undesirables and cast them aside.

It was work, but it was the kind of work that connected us to the earth and maybe even to each other.

Soon the whole family was down on their hands and knees, face to face with the soil, knees dirty and palms resting on the loose loam.

So close that you could smell the planet — not the smell 6 feet in the air, but the rich, organic smell of the earth. It’s an unmistakable scent, a bit like burnt almonds with maybe a hint of cinnamon.

However it is described, the smell of soil is rich and complex. To a gardener a generation ago, down on hands and knees, the smell of the soil was a subtle but special experience; in an odd way akin to the bouquet of a fine glass of wine.

Times have changed and gardening habits have as well. Today we decorate with plants. We buy plants already three feet tall and blooming.

We point to them at the nursery, have them delivered in shiny trucks, by people with shiny shoes to shiny patios.

Professional gardeners dig the holes and put the sanitized and packaged plants into the ground while the homeowner points, adjusts the automatic sprinklers and enjoys their creation — from a distance.

Gardens are as beautiful today as they ever have been, probably more beautiful than ever. But I can’t help but think that something is lost in the short distance between gardener and soil.

There is something that can only be gotten by being face to face with the earth, putting your hands into it, squeezing a bit of it in your bare palm and being so close to it you can smell it.

You can’t get this sensation on the top end of a shovel and certainly not from the flagstone patio.

You’ve got to get down on the ground, gloves off, sunglasses removed, iPod away, no perfume, no gardeners.

Only 18 inches above the crust of the earth, you’ll see that soil is a living, breathing thing, not something you buy in a bag. Worms, beetles, bugs and tiny creatures will come into focus. You’ll see the little white feeder roots endlessly searching for moisture and nutrition. You’ll feel the grit of sand or the smoothness of clay. You’ll feel the soil’s warmth in your hands.

With the fall planting season now upon us, this is an ideal time to reacquaint ourselves with terra firma. This month and next are the best times of the year for planting most seeds and bulbs, two groups of plants that you can’t plant standing up.

An in a fortunate way, these are plants that professional gardeners usually won’t deal with. It’s time for you, and maybe the whole family, to get out in the garden and touch the soil.

Fall is the time to start a few rows of carrots, cabbage, lettuce, radish, snap peas or broccoli. If flowers are your thing then plant fragrant sweet peas, beautiful poppies, tall flowery stock or bright calendulas. “Fall is for Planting” is one marketing slogan that really is true.

Flower bulbs are also planted in the fall. Planting Dutch iris, narcissus, ranunculus, freesia and dozens more will get you up close and personal with your garden — from the ground up. If you are gardening with your children, or would like to, bring them along when you buy the bulbs. Let them help choose the colors and varieties, and they will be more likely to follow you into the garden and get dirty. They will see, smell and touch the earth.

As gardeners or simply as citizens, every now and then we need to get down and touch the soil, let it fall through our fingers and get a bit of it on us, maybe even under our fingernails. We want to be “green,” we want to protect the planet we live on. Our children, especially, need the experience of gardening, not just the result. Touching the soil is a good place to begin and this month and next are the perfect time to begin.

ASK RON

Question: I want to control mosquitoes in an old fountain, but I’m an organic gardener and also don’t want to harm any birds or animals.

Susan

Costa Mesa

Answer: No problem. You should be using mosquito dunks. They are small wafers about 2 inches across. I suggest breaking these into four pieces. One piece will float on the surface of the water and last for about three or four weeks. They control mosquitoes biologically with an organism called bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. It is also completely harmless to wildlife and children.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.