It’s Time for You to Grow a Regenerative Garden
Here’s How We Can Fight Climate Change and Feed Ourselves
Sustainable is not enough. If we’re going to fight back against climate change we need to do regenerative gardening and agriculture.
I live in the middle of New York City. Is it possible to grow food, attract wildlife, and reduce my carbon footprint? Absolutely. Here are a few things I am planning to do even with limited space and resources:
- Grow native plants
- Plant nitrogen fixing crops to fertilize the soil
- Save food scraps and turn them into compost
- Start growing my own food
Grow Native Plants
Instead of growing the same flowers, shrubs, and trees as everyone else, why not grow plants that would grow here anyway? Native plants are low maintenance once established and attract pollinators like birds and butterflies.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Nitrogen Fixing
Plants don’t just need soil, water, and sun. They need nitrogen to carry out photosynthesis. But there’s no need to run out to Home Depot to pick up nitrogen fertilizer. A simpler solution is to use plants that absorb nitrogen gas from the air all on their own.
Learn about how to use these nitrogen fixing plants:
Compost
Don’t waste anything. Nature never does! Compost isn’t complicated. Instead of tossing food scraps or plant trimmings, throw them in a container with some dirt and worms. If it smells bad you are doing something wrong.
A few tips:
- Start with veggie scraps and dead leaves
- Add some worms: https://unclejimswormfarm.com/order-stuff/composting-worms/
- Don’t add meat, oil, dairy, eggshells, garlic, ginger, or citrus peels
Benefits include breaking the consumer-disposable mindset, reducing your total waste output, and free fertilizer for the garden.
Growing Food
Once those native plants are taking care of themselves you can leverage that ecosystem to start growing your own food. Why just feed the birds when you can feed yourself?
- Start with easy foods
- Start with foods you actually eat. For me that includes kale, peas, broccoli, peas, chickpeas
Benefits of Gardens
Let’s get nerdy for a sec. There’s this thing called the Biophilia hypothesis. It states that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. I don’t know about all that, but I do see a lot of people hanging out in parks around New York.
Gardens can fight climate change. Covering the ground with green instead of concrete prevents rainwater runoff and reflects less heat back into the air.
This post was inspired by Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/ron-finley-teaches-gardening
