“This is ancient knowledge, really. When you increase soil organic matter in the soil, good things happen. But climate change is bringing new attention to it. And regardless of climate change, we should be doing this for many reasons—for productivity, erosion control, drought tolerance. It’s going back to our roots, no pun intended.”

- Pelayo Alvarez, outreach director for the Petaluma-based Carbon Cycle Institute

What is regenerative gardening?
Regenerative gardening is a way to create a sustainable ecosystem in your backyard. Regenerative gardens focus on soil health and organic no-till practices. But there's a bit more to it than that.

I've been passionate about the environment since learning about pollution from a book when I was in elementary school in the early 90's. I still remember reading through the book on the cozy armchair in my living room, half upset that thing like pollution existed, and half determined to do something to fix it. In high school, I started to keep up-to-date with the science of how things like the effects of climate change (we called it global warming then) could be avoided.

In a different area of my life, I fell in love with gardening. In researching how to improve soil health, I saw that scientists had connected the dots with the power of carbon. Essentially, while carbon is causing climate change as a greenhouse gas, it also is an important part of soil vitality.

Did you know that the same carbon causing climate chaos in the atmosphere can become a solution thriving plants? It’s true! Storing carbon in the soil not only aids in plant growth but also mitigates the effects of climate change.

When I saw that there was a way to benefit of not only the planet, but the plants too - I was hooked.

Regenerative practices are how farmers and gardeners can not only keep existing carbon in the soil, but also take it out of the atmosphere and store it in the soil.

They're called "regenerative" because instead of just not adding to environmental issues, these practices actually fix the problems and restore the land.

→ It is important to understand that regenerative agriculture exists because of the work and traditional practices that Indigenous, Black, and Asian farmers have shared with us. They are the original regenerative farmers and gardeners, and we are indebted to them for their knowledge, methodology, and stewardship.

Regenerative farming is a way to fix the damage caused by conventional farming. At the same time, regenerative farming grows nutritious food and supports the environment.

The benefits of regenerative farming make it a nature-based solution to climate change. Regenerative agriculture supports the environment and builds resiliency to extreme weather events.

But maybe you aren’t a farmer with acres of land.

The good news is that you don’t need to own a huge property to apply regenerative practices to your backyard!. You can work with regenerative farming techniques on any scale. This is the basis of regenerative gardening.

For instance, instead of tilling, layer compost, leaves, or straw on top of your garden beds each season to create better soil structure and add fertility.

My goal with ths Regenerative Gardening Guide is to give you a step-by-step plan to transition your garden. I'll show you how to start with the current state of your garden, and put regenerative gardening practices in place one by one.

Here's Why We Do It: The Sustainable Benefits of Regenerative Gardening

The benefits of regenerative agriculture can still apply to smaller regenerative gardens.

Here are some of the reasons to grow a regenerative garden:

✓ You'll Capture Atmospheric Carbon in Your Soil

• Plant Choices and Planning: Strategically plant species to maximize carbon storage.
• No-till Methods: Preserve soil carbon by preventing its release.
• Organic Fertilizers: Use petroleum-free options to enhance soil's carbon-holding capacity.

✓ You can Reduce Your Workload

• Less Watering: With improved soil structure, your garden will retain more moisture.
• Less Weeding: Keep soil covered to prevent sunlight from reaching weeds.
• Less Fertilizing: Natural nutrient additions from cover crops reduce synthetic needs.

✓ You'll Increase Your Garden's Resilience to Weather Extremes

• Drought-tolerant: Your garden adapts effortlessly to dry conditions.
• Weather Protection: Resilient against heat, cold, and wind.
• Flood-resistant: Improved drainage and soil integrity withstand heavy rains.

✓ Your Soil Quality Will Improve

• Reduced Compaction: Cultivate loose, aerated soil for better root growth.
• Increased Microbe Population: Encourage beneficial microorganisms.
• More Organic Matter: Enrich soil with organic content through mulching and cover cropping.

✓ You'll Make a Positive Impact

• Robust Ecosystem: Contribute to a healthier local environment.
• Backyard Habitat: Create a sanctuary for wildlife and support biodiversity.

Regenerative Gardening Practices

Before we can look at regenerative gardening practices, we need to look at the basics of what regenerative farming is and how it’s implemented.

Then we can see how to transfer these ideas from a large scale to a small scale backyard.

Here are the principles of regenerative farming:

Minimize soil disturbance:

• Practice no-till methods to keep the soil microbiome in-tact.
• Prioritize perennials, which stay in the ground for longer.
• Keep plant roots in the ground whenever possible to offer food to the soil biome and add organic matter. This also helps keep stored carbon in the soil.

Focus on the soil more than the crop:

• Understand that healthy soil grows more robust and resilient plants.
• Use organic fertilizers so the soil microbes can form relationships with our plants.
  

Value biodiversity of plants and animals:

• Interplant different species together, with as many plant varieties as possible in a single area.
• Encourage pollinators, beneficial insects and wildlife in the garden to increase yield and reduce pest pressure.

Integrate livestock in a way that nurtures the soil:

• Implement pasture rotation to help livestock to have less impact on the land.
• Let animals graze in woodland or orchards, which also benefits ecosystems.

Always cover the soil:

• Avoid bare soil, keep it planted and add mulch around crops.
• Plant cover crops to keep the soil planted and covered.
• Keep the soil microbiome happy, hydrated, and robust.

Regenerative Gardening Transition Plan: A step-by-step guide:

Now we’ll take the above principles and apply them to your garden. You'll be a regenerative gardener in no time!

I've organized this plan in away that is intended to be chronological. The structure is designed to build foundational practices first, so each subsequent step builds on the benefits and resilience of your garden.

Of course, you can modify the order based on what works best for you.

1. Keep the soil covered by mulching and/or planting your bare soil

I'm having you start here, since covering the soil is a fundamental practice in regenerative gardening. It's easy to integrate into your garden, no matter how it's structured or what season it is. Organic mulch will help your garden to start with a strong, protected foundation. As an added benefit, you'll notice that you'll need to water our garden far less when it's fully mulched!

• Survey your current growing space and make note of any bare soil.‍
• If it’s early spring-mid summer, plant into these bare spaces with seedlings. You can also direct sow seeds to bring life into the soil.
• If you have bare soil between live plants, mulch these areas heavily. I recommend organic chopped straw if it’s starting to warm up. Organic weed-free grass clippings also work if it’s a bit cooler out.‍
• If it’s late summer-early autumn, you’re just in time to plant a cover crop. Check out my cover crop guide to find out what to plant to meet the needs of your garden. ‍
• If it’s mid-autumn-winter, mulch the soil with fallen leaves, grass clippings, or organic hay. Keep this mulch in place until your planting season begins again.

→ Harvest more information: read our full guide to mulching your regenerative garden here or learn which cover crop you should plant here

2. Keep roots in the ground as you harvest your crops

This practice is simple, and can be easily integrated into your current harvesting routine.

• Cut any spent plants back instead of pulling them up. Cut any spent plants about an inch below the soil surface. Aim to do this when clearing rows or harvesting crops, flowers, or herbs.
• This also applies to cover crops. Allow them to winter-kill, cut them at the base. You can also flatten them with a roller crimper when it’s time for spring planting.
• Obviously this doesn’t work for root crops, but the goal is to leave roots in the ground as much as is practical.

3. Add plant diversity into your garden

Start to diversify the kinds of plants that you are growing. An eco-friendy garden is one that offers a rich variety of different plants for both humans and animals to enjoy. Over time ,you'll create an interconnected plant community that will become stronger as the growing season goes on.

• Bring in perennial plants, like fruit trees, herbs, shrubs, vines, and flowers into our vegetable gardens.
• Plant a pollinator patch if you have the space
• Stop with the monocrop: Look at your beds and notice if any of them have just one crop in them. Then, make a plan to integrate multiple crops during the next planting cycle. You can also mix herbs and a veg crop in the same bed in the future.

→ Harvest more information: learn how biodiversity can help fight climate change

4. If you have chickens or other livestock…

If you do have animals, is there a way that you can incorporated them so that they offer natural fertilization and/or pest control?

• Create a space that merges your animals with the garden.
• You can also create a pasture rotation system if you have enough land.
• Try planting some edible chicken favorites around their coop and roaming area. These tasty treats include sunflowers, mint, basil, and calendula.

5. Focus on soil health

An easy way to focus on soil health is through adding compost and vermicompost to your garden. You can make these in your backyard, or vermicomposting can even be done indoors. Both techniques are great ways to put your food scraps and garden debris to good use and avoid the landfill.

• Start a fresh compost pile
• If it’s autumn, neighbors might have bags of leaves that they would give to you. These leaves will boost your compost pile, or you can use them as mulch.
• You might also be able to source free manure locally.
• Add in a vermicomposting system too for good measure.

Tip: Make sure that the manure is as chemical free as possible. Hay and straw can be sprayed with a persistent herbicide that can harm your garden. Unfortunately, I learned this from personal experience.

Ask the farmer if the animals are fed spray-free hay and if the straw is spray-free. You can also see if any other gardeners have gotten manure from the same farm without issues.

→ Harvest more information: Discover how to build soil health and why it's so important to regenerative gardeners

6. Ditch any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides

Gradually removing synthetic inputs as your regenerative practices strengthen your garden's ecosystem will help to minimize shock and support sustanable growth and pest management.

• Take inventory of your inputs (think: fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides) and note any that are not organic.
• Research what other methods you can implement instead.
• For example, neem oil is an organic pest control, or you can try methods like picking disease resistant varieties, planting flowers for beneficial insects, practicing crop rotation, and even good old-fashioned hand-picking of pests.
• Look for organic fertilizers with the OMRI label, as those help the soil microbes to continue their relationship with your plants, in contrast to synthetic fertilizers which replace the soil microbes and so their population declines.
• Organic fertilizers are also a more sustainable choice since they are not made from petroleum products, unlike most synthetic inputs. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer also releases harmful greenhouse gases in the form of nitrates. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides also cause water pollution and harm insect populations.

Note: While copper fungicide/herbicide falls under the “organic” label, there are some negative environmental and health impacts of this chemical, so I don't not use it in my garden.

→ Harvest more information: Learn more about organic fertilizers and why they are necessary for regenerative gardening practices

7. If you did till your garden in the past, add organic matter on top of existing beds instead

This step will help to solidify your commitment to regenerative practices as you prepare for future planting cycles. No-till regenerative practices help reduce soil erosion, and are essential in the management of healthy soil.

• Plant a cover crop: If you have existing beds and it’s late summer or early autumn, plant a cover crop to improve soil tilth. One of my favorite cover crops is daikon radish. Daikon helps improve soil tilth without manual tillage.
• Compost + Broadfork: Add compost on top of beds, and use a broadfork to loosen up the soil without tillage. In my garden, I usually do this in the early spring or after a big harvest.

Your new regenerative garden

Now that you have a regenerative garden, you are officially a land steward. Now you capture more carbon in your backyard and tend to a robust ecosystem.

For me, the environmental benefits of regenerative gardening are what attracts me most. Regenerative gardening is a nature-based solution to climate change. It allows us to become stewards of the land as we work to store as much carbon as possible into the soil.

As you cycle through the seasons, keep this checklist in mind so that you can continuously build soil health. Keep the soil planted to maximize photosynthesis and carbon sequestration. Disturb the soil as little as possible to keep carbon in the ground. Focus on plant diversity for a beautiful garden that attracts beneficial insects.

You’ve probably noticed that you need to provide less input for your garden over all. Perhaps there is less work, less water needed, and less weeding. Maybe a heat wave came through, and your crops made it through with very little stress. Or maybe you’ve noticed that your soil is becoming more fluffy in texture.

Regardless, you’ve done something fantastic for the surrounding ecology. You've also stopped spraying toxins for improved human and wildlife health. Your actions will benefit future generations.

Want to learn more about regenerative agriculture? Read our definitive guide to regenerative agriculture here.

Are you totally new to gardening? You'll find our guide on the best books for new gardeners helpful here.

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