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From the Soil UP
GPMGA HOPE Soil Team, Part I
Craig explaining the Jadam process for boosting soil organisms
Don discussing the benefits of "green mulch" as ground cover
Dudley showing an easy way to make your own organic tea fertilizer.
Katrina preparing her exhibit of cover crops.
Audrey demonstrating the development of compost through three stages.
Laura highlighting the advantages of no-till gardening
Regenerative Gardening
For an inspired introduction, check out this video by Jimi Eisenstein:
Sustainable vs. Regenerative Gardening. Sustaining simply means maintaining what exists, while regenerative means improving your garden.
Natural life in the soil: Did you know that there are more microorganisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on the earth? Some of these participate in carbon sequestration.
Goals of regenerative gardening:
1. Draw down atmospheric CO2
2. Rebuild topsoil
3. Provide both drought & flood resilience
Principles
1. Minimize Soil Disturbance
2. Maximize Plant Cover
3. Embrace Biodiversity
Practical applications for gardeners
Cover the soil:
Cover crops, Ground covers
Feed/nurture the soil:
Compost / Organic material
Hügelkultur / Chop-and-drop
Avoid disrupting the soil:
No till / Cut (not pull up)
Cultivate deep roots:
Natives / Other perennials
Energize with diversity:
Companion planting /Crop rotation/
Mixed cover crops
For further inspiration to engage in regenerative gardening, check out this video from “Kiss the Ground.”
Watch for the HOPE Soil team's next program on Carbon Sequestration
One of our volunteers who is retired from the energy industry said that they are always trying to figure out ways of doing this, but “plants just do it so much better.”
From the Soil UP
