Adopt regenerative practices

GARDEN PATCH

Phyllis Webster earned a degree in journalism before embarking on a long career in public relations and marketing. A Granbury resident since 1998, she has been deeply involved in the community. She is an award-winning writer and photographer, as well as a Master Gardener. She has authored Garden Patch since 2001. 

It took a pandemic and the fear of climate change to spark a revolution in horticulture. Although the term “regenerative” had been tossed about regarding agriculture, it hadn’t been seriously discussed on a small scale until people suddenly had more time and an incentive to grow more produce at home.

Regenerative now addresses all types of commercial and home gardening, including landscaping. At the core of this movement is a desire to enrich the soil, thereby enriching our food, our bodies and the planet’s diverse inhabitants. The idea is to rebuild the soil’s organic matter and stop robbing the soil of its nutrients through such practices as intensive tilling and use of chemicals and salt-based fertilizers.

Long before modern agriculture, Native Americans lived in harmony with the land. This new effort combines time-honored techniques for replenishing the land with more modern methods to create a sustainable approach.

No-till is a key concept of regenerative gardening. Expected benefits are healthier plants that are more resilient to climate changes and improved yield. Why? Tiling breaks down soil structure, releases carbon emissions and damages the soil’s microscopic life. Healthy soil is full of invertebrates, such as earthworms, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and other tiny creatures. Retaining soil microbes results in increased water retention, better nutrient availability to plants, increased carbon dioxide capture and decreased soil erosion.

A second premise is feeding and covering the soil. Composted biological materials such as food waste help build organic matter and act as soil and plant fertilizer by supplying nutrients. Also, leaving plant matter in the garden rather than removing it retains soil nutrients. Additionally, cover crops can fix carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester carbon as organic matter in the soil. Legumes and winter rye grass used as cover crops fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil and leave organic matter underground, reducing the need for fertilizers. Covering soil with mulch increases water retention and cools soil temperatures.

Regenerative gardening also protects wildlife. Many crops and garden plants depend upon pollination by insects such as bees and butterflies. Adding native plants, such as wildflowers and grasses, increases habitat for these beneficial creatures. Practices include combining pollinator-friendly (nectar-producing) flowers with edibles, allowing nectar-rich weeds to bloom and avoiding pesticide use.

And finally, increasing plant diversity minimizes monocultures and imbalances in soils. Crop rotation limits same-nutrient depletion and mimics natural plant diversity. Not only are the crops diversified, so are the soil microorganisms, which benefits plant health.

For answers to your horticulture questions, please call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Hood County at 817-579-3280 or go online to visit lakegranburymastergardeners.org.