SUSTAINABLE Gardening Center

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.

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.

To protect your garden against pests it helps to know who they are, because not all bugs and insects are bad. Bees pollinate your plants, for instance, and spiders eat up several of the bugs that can spoil a garden. To help you sort it all out, I've put together a quick intro to the pests you don't want hanging around in your garden, and tips on how to keep them away. For specific guidance on how to treat pests with soap, Neem oil, and other organic repellants, read How to manage pests organically.

Organic and sustainable ways to keep pests at bay. It's important to cultivate a diverse, native-to-your-region garden. Doing so will support healthy growth, and the healthier your plants, the less likely they’ll send out the distress signals that invite trouble, because pests tend to feed on the most vulnerable plants.

Pest populations can explode even if you keep your soil healthy and maintain a balanced garden ecosystem. Organic gardeners shy away from using pesticides for some very good reasons. Sprays can kill beneficial bugs and insects, like the bees that pollinate your raspberries or the insects that cycle nutrients through your soil. Pesticides also find their way into the food chain because plants absorb chemicals through roots and leaves. Fortunately you can mitigate the risk of using pesticides by relying on ones certified for organic use, which tend to be derived from plants or bacteria.

Pest populations can explode even if you keep your soil healthy and maintain a balanced garden ecosystem. Pest management is a natural part of growing plants and occasionally gardeners need to rely on external control measures like spraying pesticides. Organic gardeners shy away from using pesticides for some very good reasons. Sprays, particularly if they are not organic, can kill beneficial bugs and insects, like the bees that pollinate your raspberries or the insects that cycle nutrients through your soil. Pesticides also find their way into the food chain because plants absorb chemicals through roots and leaves. Fortunately you can mitigate the risk of using pesticides by relying on ones certified for organic use, which tend to be derived from plants or bacteria.

We all love houseplants, but little know of the dirty secret that lies in their pots: peat.

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.

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.

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.

I fell hard for gardening in my early 20's. I had just fled too-urban New York City for a rental house in Oakland, and was thrilled by the trees and space and flowers. My first garden was teeny, just a patch of dirt out front. But 30 years later I had a house and a yard divided into what I consider rooms, which means each section has its own feel.