The “king of butterflies" is rapidly disappearing. In just the last 20 years, the monarch butterfly population has declined by 85 percent in this country—and the numbers are even worse in the West, which has seen a 99 percent drop in numbers.
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We all love houseplants, but little know of the dirty secret that lies in their pots: peat.
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A Climate Victory Garden is grounded in the carbon-sucking principles of regenerative agriculture, which uses practices that mimic nature. Regenerative farmers basically allow plants to work their magic, and keep more carbon in the ground, by practicing minimal tilling, planting a mix of crops, keeping roots in the ground year round, and shoveling on lots of organic material. So what does this mean for the backyard gardener? It boils down to this: make soil-building the priority before you plant your garden, and afterwards. So, want to do something, anything, for the planet? Here are a few tips for starting your own Climate Victory Garden.
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I had to find some way to keep myself sane and building a healthier food system that could help us mitigate and adapt to climate change... seemed like hopeful work.
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I’m not alone in my admiration for strawberries. In ancient Rome, the strawberry symbolized Venus, the Goddess of Love, because of its heart shape and color. In medieval times, stone masons carved strawberries on altars and churches because they symbolized perfection and righteousness. Much more recently—last month, in fact—strawberries have become my ticket to sanity, a means of dealing with the stress of the ongoing pandemic.
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Butterflies and bees tend to get top billing when it comes to identifying pollinators, likely because people tend to be less enthusiastic about wasps, moths, and flies. But these creatures also play a vital role in helping plants reproduce. Learning to identify them, and where they like to get their pollen, is an important part of supporting them.
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Allium sativum, or garlic, is my spirit vegetable. It’s my way of expressing massive appreciation for this plant, which I have used as a medicine, an herbal flavoring, a culinary staple, and a standalone treat. Its fans are legion, gathering at events like the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, the state that grows the vast majority of the country’s garlic (most of which is then dehydrated into powder for processed food), and the North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival in central Massachusetts, where heirloom varieties from small farms reign supreme.
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On a wet, overcast day in late October three years ago, volunteers planted a meadow garden in a retirement community near where I live in western Massachusetts. Using trowels and digging knives, they planted live perennial plugs into moist soil with the color and texture of a fluffy chocolate cake.
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You may have heard of people composting their kitchen scraps and thought, gee, I wish I could compost, but I live in an apartment. Or maybe, I’d like to try composting, but my roommate is... skeptical. Well, have no fear, I’m here to tell you that you can compost even if the space you live in is tiny, located in an urban high-rise, or shared with an unenthusiastic roommate.
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If you’re like me and have only a windowsill to work with, no worries. According to Acadia Tucker, there’s plenty you can do with it to get to a point where you’re growing herbs all year long, and even harvesting peppers and tomatoes in February.
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