Are you contributing to the climate crisis by gardening?
Happy New Year, gardeners!
As we embark on what likely will be another year of extreme weather events, the time has come for experienced gardeners to ask themselves a difficult question.
DOES MY METHOD OF GARDENING CONTRIBUTE TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS?
For a sustainable gardener, one of the most important skills we must develop is the ability to question and rethink how we garden.
Are you overwatering? Wasting water? Can you do more to capture rainwater? Can you add permeable paths and driveways to absorb heavy rainfalls?
Can you further reduce chemical usage in the garden? Can you eliminate synthetic fertilizers? What about the fertilizers coming into your garden from nursery plants?
How much plastic is used in your garden? Consider wrappings on soil products, plastic pots, trinkets, furniture, and garden tools. Can you reduce that by 50% this year?
What about the footprint of energy use from greenhouse grown plants? Or the transportation of garden materials?
Can you add more trees to your garden? Or more native plants?
The steps always seem too small to make a difference when it comes to climate change and the environmental crisis we face. We do not have to throw our hands up in the air and give up, rather we can take small steps to improve the health of our garden. By doing nothing, we can even help the earth. The trees and large shrubs in our gardens are excellent at sequestering carbon. By not disturbing that, we are making a difference. Can we do more? Of course. One garden at a time.
I believe the time has come where we must consider ourselves as stewards of the area we garden. We must develop into caretakers of this important ecosystem. And like all good caretakers, we should endeavour to do no harm. In good faith we cannot cause damage to the environment so future generations will not have the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful benefits of tending a garden.
SO WHERE DO WE START?
By auditing your garden and how you garden.
Take time to think about what is important to you when it comes to big issues around sustainability. Is it chemicals? Is it the social impact? Are workers in the supply chain of garden related materials treated fairly? Is it the lawn and power tools? No one item is more important than another when it comes to finding a place to start. Adopt one or two new challenges to your garden this year.
I am considering chemicals in the garden. I have not used pesticides on plants for years, but I have used fertilizers especially for hanging baskets and containers full of summer annuals. Other chemicals also come into the garden from new plants I buy. There are chemicals from vehicles on the driveway that get hose off into the garden. Or chemicals used to kill roof moss, drain down and into the garden. Not ideal and I want to remedy that by taking steps to eliminate these chemicals.
THE HARD PART, IS WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE, OR CAN YOU DRAW A LINE?
This is what I am wrestling with. Should I be buying annuals for short term plantings? Is it better if I grow annuals from seeds? Do I use less energy than the commercial greenhouse? When it comes to efficiency, I do not have the answers. Can I still enjoy lots of summer colour in my garden while being committed to sustainable gardening practices? Hmm, tough decisions.
That is why I started this blog. I have so many questions and find it difficult to get answers. Or at least adequate information for me to weigh the pros and cons. This year I will endeavour to interview academics and experts who have these answers. I am committed to sharing this information here so we can begin gardening with methods that will do no harm. Join me in this journey to heal our gardens and our planet by adopting sustainable gardening methods.
Thank you for your time and please come back to read more articles over the course of 2025.
Thank you, Happy New Year, and come on, let's get our hands dirty,