How to plant a Climate Victory Garden
Cultivating even a little patch of soil, in pots or in your backyard, matters. Eric Toensmeier, author of the Carbon Farming Solution estimates that his own tiny carbon-rich backyard garden, about a tenth of an acre, can offset the carbon emissions of one American adult per year. Source: Joe Wirtheim
Planting a garden is a powerful act. It gives each of us with access to a little dirt the power to feed ourselves healthy food, and do something about climate change.
Many climate activists promote expensive technologies that pull carbon out of the air and inject it into deep pockets underground. Plants already do this for free through photosynthesis, the process by which light energy is turned into plant food.
This ability to capture greenhouse gases is why many experts believe regenerative agriculture, also known as carbon farming, could play an important role in fighting climate change. The Rodale Institute estimates we could sequester more than 100 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions worldwide if we switch to regenerative agriculture techniques to grow our food.
Plants are the ultimate carbon-sucking machines. They draw down atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis to produce plant food in the form of carbon-rich sugars. Plants use these sugars to grow. They also attract beneficial soil organisms by releasing some of the sugars through their roots. Those molecules of carbon that were once harmful greenhouse gases become tied up in the bodies of microbes, and stored underground. Illustration by Joe Wirtheim
Cultivating even a little patch of soil, in pots or in your backyard, matters. Eric Toensmeier, author of the Carbon Farming Solution estimates that his own tiny carbon-rich backyard garden, about a tenth of an acre, can offset the carbon emissions of one American adult per year.
So what if more of us started gardening in own yards? What if a community of citizen gardeners joined together to grow good food?
It could happen. In fact, it has happened before.
During World War II, Victory Gardens sprouted all over the country. The goal was to support the war effort: more food grown at home for civilians meant more food to send to the troops abroad. It also meant the trucks and trains ordinarily used to transport produce to grocery stores were freed up to move weapons and soldiers. And growing food at home helped families stretch their meager weekly rations. By 1943, the nearly 20 million Victory Gardens across the country were growing 40 percent of the nation’s food.
This is a determined gardener, like the one in an old recruiting poster for the U.S. Marines. I love the momentum and determination. Put on your boots, grab your shovel and get to work. Poster by Joe Wirtheim
Many decades later, we could use a new Victory Garden movement. We can lobby our leaders to do the right thing by our planet, but we can also take action ourselves. In this country alone, homes, golf courses, and parks grow roughly 40 million acres of turf grass, or about three times the amount of land dedicated to growing corn. More specifically, the average American household maintains a yard a little less than one-fifth of an acre in size, according to 2017 census data. That’s a lot of land that could be put to good use as carbon-sucking mini farms.
Experts agree more research is needed to understand the full potential of carbon farming in our own backyards, but there’s no question that even a small increase in soil carbon can improve crop resilience, reduce chemical use, conserve water, and offset greenhouse gas emissions. Just as exciting, it’s pretty easy to build rich soil.
Here’s what it takes to start your own Climate Victory Garden.
STEP ONE: PICK A LOCATION
An ideal planting bed gets plenty of sun, has easy access to a water spigot, which helps cut down on the time and hassle of watering, and can be seen from your home so there’s less of a chance you’ll forget about it. But if your only bet is a plot that’s heavily shaded and bone dry, don’t worry about it. It just means you’ll have to work extra hard to build good soil, and pick plants that will thrive without much sun. In short, it can be done!
The first step to planning a successful Climate Victory Garden is to know your plot. Note where the sun falls throughout the day, the soil is soggy or compact, and in which direction the wind blows. Find plants that prefer sun, shade, or whatever type of soil you have, and place them where they’re most likely to thrive.
STEP TWO: BUILD YOUR BEDS
The hardest practice for me to adopt on my way to becoming a regenerative grower was low-till farming. Running a big metal rototiller through dirt is a really efficient way to break up weeds and grass and dig seed furrows. Unfortunately, this machine also breaks apart the soil’s natural structure and the living soil community that works so hard to nourish plants.
Sheet mulching is one way to build a brand new planting bed. It’s my favorite method because it leaves soil organisms alone so they can go about their lives, breaking down organic matter, recycling nutrients, and aerating the soil.
Instead, I’ve learned to grow plants on planting beds made from layers of cardboard or newspaper, leaves, grass clippings, compost, and any other organic material you can get your hands on. With sheet mulching, you can leave soil organisms alone so they can go about their lives, breaking down organic matter, recycling nutrients, and aerating the soil. It is my go-to method for starting a new garden. It allows you to build good soil while eliminating weeds, all without digging. Plus it works well for just about any space. Creating soil does take time, however, and calls for a hefty supply of leaves, grass clippings, cardboard, and other organic material, so it’s not for everyone.
There’s another way to prepare your planting area: add more soil. Shovel on soil from anywhere in your yard, as long as you’ve first removed all the weeds. If your yard is too weedy or hard to dig up, or just not all that big, buy some soil from your local garden center. Look for a reputable supplier; some places will resell dirt from construction sites, which is low quality and may contain toxic chemicals. Not good! What you want is an organic soil made for gardening. That way you know it’s safe, light, and fast-draining, not compact and heavy like most construction soil.
Growing multiple plants in the same pot can help to maximize space and your harvest.
Maybe you don’t have a yard? An excellent way to get your hands dirty is to sign up for a community garden or look for a garden to share on SharedEarth. If those don’t work, you can grow in containers set out on a balcony or porch.
Container growing is easy as long as you pick the right size and start off with good soil. The bigger the pot the better because root bound or crowded plants don’t weather outdoor temperature swings well and typically need more tending.
I like to fill my containers with homemade potting soil that's a mix of equal parts coconut fiber, good garden soil, compost, and sand. You can also buy potting soil from a garden store. Look for potting soil that is inoculated with mycorrhizae, a fungus that works with plant roots to absorb more nutrients.
STEP THREE: MIX IN PERENNIAL FOODS
Artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, and apple trees. These are all examples of perennial foods, which are hardier than annuals and marry well with Climate Victory Garden goals. Any plant can be grown using a soil-first approach, and be tastier and more resilient for it. But perennials are a great choice because they require minimal to no soil disturbance and can stick around for many years.
Planting perennials like fruit trees, wildflowers, and herbs can help make your slice of land a carbon capturing machine.
One reason they do so well is because they’re anchored by extensive root systems that help them find water and nutrients deep in the soil. Deep roots also give these plants staying power when they’re buffeted by heavy winds, rains, and snow. Having the same plants in place for years makes it easier for all the carbon sequestering organisms—the bacteria, fungi, and bugs—to gather and multiply.
More than 100 different varieties of edible perennial vegetables and fruits grow well in North America.
STEP FOUR: ADD ORGANIC MATTER
Planting a Climate Victory Garden is unique in how much emphasis it puts on soil health. You can’t change the inert mineral foundation of your native soil, but you can bring it to life. All you have to do is add organic matter.
Organic matter is the superstar ingredient in healthy soil. It’s the shredded leaves you spread as mulch, the kitchen scraps you add to your compost heap, the old roots left to decompose underground. Basically, it’s anything that was once living.
Organic matter is the superstar ingredient in healthy soil. Increasing organic matter in your soil by just one percent can increase its water-retaining ability by an extra 20,000 gallons per acre.
Hungry soil organisms break down these dead leaves, roots, and scraps and convert them into plant nutrients, like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. This process, known as decomposition, produces humus, a dark brown material that is 60 percent carbon. Humus is very stable and, if undisturbed, can remain in the soil for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Soils rich in organic matter soak up water and nutrients because the molecules are charged, sort of like the static cling that makes a sock stick to your shirt when you pull your clothes out of the dryer. This charge holds moisture and nutrients tight so it’s less likely they’ll evaporate or wash away. Increasing organic matter in your soil by just one percent can increase its water-retaining ability by an extra 20,000 gallons per acre.
Increasing the percentage of organic matter in the soil also feeds mycorrhizal fungi, vast networks of fungi that release glomalin. Glomalin is a sticky, gum-like substance that binds together particles of sand, silt, and clay, creating a soil structure that further helps to lock in moisture and hold on to nutrients. These favorable conditions make plants sturdier and more resilient, a big plus in these climate-challenged times.
Once you plant your garden take the time to enjoy it! Don’t stress if it isn’t perfect. One thing I love about raising food is that there is always next season to improve and build on what you started.
So let’s grow some good food. It’s time.
Acadia Tucker is a climate activist, regenerative farmer, and author in New Hampshire. Her books, Growing Perennial Foods: A field guide to raising resilient herbs, fruits, and vegetables, and Growing Good Food: A citizen’s guide to backyard carbon farming, are on sale now.
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