The Good Garden How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food—All in Your Own Backyard
CHR IS M c L AUGHLIN
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The Good Garden
The Good Garden How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food—All in Your Own Backyard
CHRIS McLAUGHLIN
| WASHINGTON | COVELO
© 2023 Chris McLaughlin All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 480-B, Washington, DC 20036-3319.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021953417
All Island Press books are printed on environmentally responsible materials.
Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Book interior design and layout by Maureen Gately, gatelystudio.com
Keywords: Bee keeping; Biodynamic gardening; Carbon gardening; Cold frames; Compost; Domestic animals; Eco-friendly gardening; Flower gardening; French intensive gardening; Gardening tools; Greenhouse; Growing zones; Healthy soil; Heirloom plants; Hoop houses; Integrated Pest Management; Microclimates; Mulch; Native plants; Natural fertilizer; No-till; Open-pollinated; Organic; Permaculture; Pest control; Plant swap; Pollinators; Regenerative gardening; Row covers; Seed library; Vegetable gardening; Vertical gardening; Watering practices; Weed control
This book is dedicated to the gardens and farms in my life. You have been my patient teachers, a sanctuary to millions, and a home to us. It has been an honor to collaborate with you and a joy to love you.
Contents Introduction: What Makes a Good Garden? chapter 1. chapter 2. chapter 3. chapter 4. chapter 5. chapter 6. chapter 7. chapter 8. chapter 9.
Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles Know Your Ecosystem
Welcome Pollinators and Wildlife Control Weeds Naturally
Keep the Bad Bugs at Bay Nourish Healthy Soil
Cultivate Healthy Food
Enlist Domestic Critters Build Community
Resources: Down the Sustainable Rabbit Hole
Photo Credits
Acknowledgments About the Author Index
1 7 21 41 89 107 133 175 217 241 271 285 291 293 295
Photo by Bob McLaughlin
Introduction What Makes a Good Garden?
G
arden seed sales hit record highs in 2021, growing even from the huge spikes
seen in 2020 after the emergence of COVID-19. There is plenty of speculation about why. Part of the reason may be more people working from home or simple boredom after months spent cooped up alone. But I think something more fundamental is going on. In this turbulent time of a worldwide pandemic, climate change, economic disparity, and culture wars, self-sufficiency is making a comeback. We all saw the vulnerabilities of our food system as meat-processing plants became disease hot spots and food banks struggled to feed the hungry. Those weaknesses led to questions about how our food is produced, and they reinvigorated calls for Big Ag to adopt sustainable farming practices on a massive scale. We can put pressure on the industry to reform by supporting the
multitudes of small farms that are already using these practices successfully. But we can also take a more hands-on approach, grow some of our own food, and enjoy taking control of our food security.
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Introduction
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Introduction
3
Planting some blueberry bushes won’t change the fact that the United States imports nearly two-thirds of its fruit, but it will reduce your personal food miles, not to mention the plastic you truck home from the store. And while you can’t live solely off the tomatoes in your garden, it’s nice to know they weren’t sprayed with a pesticide that could affect your health or contribute to pollinator decline. Beyond even feeding ourselves, home gardening fills a hunger to be part of something larger. Digging around in the earth reminds us that we depend on it for our survival. I feel that connection each time I close my eyes to smell the nuances of free-
sias, roses, carnations, and lilies; or watch a monarch butterfly land on milkweed; or pat the bunny whose manure is going to enrich my compost. Those moments make me want to restore and replenish the land that is restoring and replenishing me. And they make me realize that nature knows best, and old-world farmers often knew better than we do. Sometimes chicken poop is a better fertilizer than chemicals bought at the store. Sometimes the sun kills weeds just as dead as an herbicide. Sometimes grass clippings and leaves make richer mulch than the bagged stuff. When you foster a garden that mimics nature, sooner or later, it will strike a balance. You may not always get a perfectly manicured, Instagram-worthy lawn, but you will cultivate a regenerative garden that gives back. As conscientious gardeners, we can improve the air, water, and soil in our own backyards. We can reduce runoff from herbicides and pesticides. We can create habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. And we can form friendships and share knowledge with neighbors, ultimately building the village it will take to make bigger changes than any of us can make alone. Joining a community garden or starting a seed library might seem like a small thing, but it connects us with others who care about protecting our planet. In the upcoming chapters, I’ll share the techniques that I have used to grow my Good Garden. But I want to acknowledge that every gardener, farmer, conservationist, naturalist, and biologist will have different points of view about every topic in this book. Despite the varied (and valid) opinions, I have made every effort to bring facts, consensus, my own decades of experience, and that of my fellow gardeners and farmers to these pages. It’s important to me that I keep things real. As with everything we do, gardening requires putting things in context—in this case, considering both your own environment and your personal views. There is never a one-size-fits-all
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solution. However, understanding how your little patch of Earth fits into the bigger ecosystem, and using sustainable techniques, common sense, and patience will have you on the right path to creating a garden that’s truly good. For goodness sakes, slow down. Too often, we conclude that something doesn’t work when, indeed, it would have worked if we had only given it time. Most of us spend our entire adult lives with the misunderstanding that “doing our best” means “doing it fast.” Faster than we did it before, faster than our friends and neighbors. Have you noticed that nature isn’t in a race with time the way people are? Ancient Chinese philosopher and writer, Lao Tzu, observed, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” One last thing: Please include children. Your kids, your grandkids, or neighborhood kids. Children are instinctively drawn to the natural world and find wonder, exploration, solace, and friendship through plants and animals. There isn’t a better way to introduce the next generation to good stewardship than allowing them to become a part of your backyard’s journey to sustainability. There are some of the most incredible written works out there on the wisdom of respecting ecosystems as we work in our gardens. Yet they are often deeply scientific and can feel like an information overload, which leaves the everyday gardener wondering how they can make a difference in their family backyard. Where do you start? You start here.
Introduction
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1
Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles S
o, you know you want to grow a Good Garden. Where to begin? Fortunately,
many gardeners, farmers, conservationists, botanists, and others have developed effective approaches to guide us. Gardeners interested in sustainable practices tend to combine any number of these styles, as opposed to adhering to one strict code—as it should be. My goal is to encourage you to grow the garden of your heart, a love child conceived of nature’s needs and your wants. Applying a blend of good gardening practices will get you from here to there. Organic gardening methods are a great place to start. The central tenets of organic are to avoid harmful pesticides and herbicides and to choose natural fertilizers derived from plants or animals over synthetic ones derived from chemicals. The organic movement began in the early 1900s in response to the growing industrialization of agriculture. It gained popularity in the 1970s as the environmental and health problems created by chemical “inputs” became more known. Today, the National Organic Standards Board sets rules that farmers must follow for their products to be labeled organic. For our purposes, the main takeaway is to avoid chemicals and use natural methods for managing weeds and pests. “First, do no harm” could be organic gardening’s tagline.
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There’s no denying that organic practices are key to maintaining a healthy eco-
Permaculture is based
system. But today, many sustainable farming advocates have adopted the term regen-
on regenerative and
erative agriculture to emphasize practices that not only avoid harm but also replenish
ecological designs that
natural systems. Unlike organic farming, there’s no legal definition of regenerative
support both the earth
farming or gardening, but the idea is to take conservation to a whole other level. The
and people.
focus is on building up sustainable ecosystems by replenishing soils, protecting watersheds, and expanding biodiversity. Beyond organic and regenerative, many terms are used to describe various farming and gardening frameworks for improving environmental health. These approaches are not mutually exclusive—in fact, there is a ton of overlap, so feel free to mix and match. Let’s delve into a few of the most popular sustainable gardening styles.
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Permaculture Gardening As a philosophy, permaculture embraces living in harmony with nature. It’s like a big sustainable umbrella that touches every aspect of human existence, including water and energy use, architecture and design, engineering and construction. The concept of permaculture (permanent + culture) showed up in the 1970s courtesy of Australian researchers, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. It’s a big, broad topic and one that deserves your attention through further digging. However, for the purpose of this book, we’ll focus on permaculture in terms of sustainable gardening in our own backyards. Permaculture gardening practices support a healthy ecosystem by integrating native plantings, wildlife gardening, and edible landscaping. Rather than serving a single purpose such as growing vegetables and fruits for the table, these systems may provide flowers, botanicals for crafts, herbal medicines, fibers, natural dyes, meditation spaces, health sanctuaries, and wildlife habitats. To be clear, permaculture is complex, and mastering it takes years of practice. Because the approach is multifaceted, it’s wise to start small and focus on one or two projects at a time. Start by thinking in terms of “systems.” Systems are a bunch of elements that are arranged so that they function together for a purpose or to get something done. With any system (i.e., engineering system, school system, etc.), the idea is to consider each part and how it works in relation to the whole. Garden systems include soil, bacteria, plants, wildlife, energy, water, and so on. The following are several ways to begin your permaculture garden journey: •
Focus on planting more perennial plants in your food garden. Perennials are planted once and offer a delicious return year after year. Think in terms of fruit trees, berry shrubs, canes, and veggies. Some plants will take several years to become established (I’m looking at you, asparagus), but they’re well worth it.
Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles
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•
Put healthy soil at the top of your sustainability list. Healthy soil is the key to everything. Make composting a knee-jerk habit. Have a compost pile going all year, all the time.
•
Give your garden a leg up by utilizing nature’s beneficial insects and wildlife. Create wildlife habitats and grow plants for pollinators. (More on wildlife habitats in chapter 3.)
•
Don’t underestimate the usefulness of domestic animals. Chickens, rabbits, bees, and others can all help create a well-rounded permaculture system. (More on this in chapter 8.)
•
Mimicking nature, permaculture favors polyculture over monoculture. In other words, diversity is key for a Good Garden. Mix it up out there! (I tend to thump the diversity bible throughout this book).
One of my favorite permaculture practices is to plant a food forest, which is distinct from growing in a forest or agroforestry. Rather, the gardener builds a forest of food by planting a variety of edible plants that mimic natural ecosystems. Forest gardening creates a polyculture that maximizes your real estate through the strategic layering of plants. Although the same general, seven-layer frame is used, each one is unique to the garden and its environment. All said and done, food forests become wonderful habitats for critters. Here’s an example of how one is constructed in seven layers: 1. Canopy/tall tree layer Include shade, full-sized fruit, timber, and nut trees. Deciduous trees will create a leaf layer in the fall. 2. Subcanopy/large shrub layer Many other fruit trees can be planted in this layer, including dwarf varieties, such as apple, peach, plum, apricot, pomegranate, persimmon, and fig. 3. Shrub layer This is the place for woody plants and shrubs, such as raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, blueberries, blackcurrant, guava, and chokeberries.
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4. Herbaceous layer Herbaceous (nonwoody) perennial plants go here. This might include vegetables, herbs, flowers, and plants that attract pollinators. 5. Groundcover/creeper layer Food plants will help control erosion, and mulch will retain moisture. This is the right spot for things like borage, yarrow, oregano, lemon balm, valerian, strawberries, ramps, viola, sweet woodruff, and white clover. 6. Underground layer Underground crops come next, such as garlic, sweet potatoes, onion, horseradish, carrots, and mushrooms. 7. Vertical/climber layer While trees can offer support for the climbers, it’s recommended to add secure climbing structures for plants such as grapes, kiwi, hops, passionflower, runner beans, cucumbers, nasturtium, and squash. The plant species listed are merely examples of what you can grow in your food forest. Plant what you love and what thrives in your zone!
What is the first thing you should do when you notice that something is eating your plants? Celebrate! Your garden is officially part of the ecosystem. Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles
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Biodynamic Gardening The biodynamic system is unique. While the philosophy’s inclusion of spirituality might be a little esoteric for some, like other sustainable farming and gardening approaches, it emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things. It was developed in 1924 by scientist and philosopher Rudolph Steiner (1861–1925) who was convinced that modern farming techniques would put the health of humans, animals, and the planet at risk. Indeed, it’s interesting to note that in 1923 he predicted that the honeybee population would collapse in 80 to 100 years. This approach teaches us to think of the garden or farm as an organism unto itself, and beyond that, Earth also as a living organism. In fact, this concept extends to the sun, moon, stars, planets—the entire solar system. The biodynamic method calls for using natural fertilizers, crop rotation, cover crops, biodynamic preparations, as well as moon cycles. In particular, the method includes nine preparations composed of animal manures, minerals, and herbs—specifically, cow manure, quartz, common horsetail, nettle, chamomile, dandelion, oak bark, valerian, and yarrow. These preparations are eventually used as compost or sprays to perform any number of functions, including fostering beneficial bacteria and fungi, stabilizing nitrogen, and supporting microbial diversity. Some preparations offer pest, disease, and climate resistance. Nature’s seasonal cycles and natural rhythms, including the effect of the moon on growing plants, play a big role in biodynamic gardening. This might be a new idea for some, and perhaps it may even seem a little odd, but partnering with nature in these ways is also fascinating and amazingly effective.
(Opposite) It’s exciting to
see biodynamics in school gardens.
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Invite Your Garden to Tea Adding decomposed organic matter to your soil with compost is certainly the best way to go. However, you can help spread the wealth by making compost, manure, and herbal/plant teas. These liquid teas and fermented plant extracts utilized by biodynamic farmers and gardeners can deliver (depending on the tea recipe) beneficial micro-organisms and nutrients to your garden when you don’t have shovelfuls of compost available. There are recipes for disease suppression, biological support, and general plant nutrition. The following is an all-around biodynamic compost-plant tea recipe: •
1 large, netted bag (or 3 smaller netted bags)
•
Finished compost (2 lb.)
•
Nettles (big handfuls)
•
Comfrey (big handfuls)
•
5-gallon bucket filled half to two-thirds of the way up with spring water (untreated)
•
Heavy fabric or burlap as a bucket cover
•
Dowel or branch (longer than the circumference of the bucket) (optional)
•
Aquarium air pump and tubing (optional)
Place the compost into the large, netted bag (or one smaller bag). Add the nettles and comfrey to the bag or separately in their own if you’re using a smaller-sized bag. Place the bag (or all bags) into the water bucket. If you have a dowl or stick, you can attach the bag(s) to it for easy removal. Cover the bucket with the fabric or burlap. If you’re using an aquarium air pump, connect the tubing to the pump and let it aerate the bucket of tea for 24 hours. If you’re not using a pump, lift the cover and stir the tea three times a day for a week. Dilute tea with water (10 parts water to 1 part tea) and use in the garden immediately.
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Crowding out weeds is one of intensive gardening’s greatest attributes.
Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles
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All sustainable gardening practices benefit from interplanting vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruit.
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French Intensive Gardening French intensive gardening, also known as the biointensive method, produces loads of vegetables and is perfectly suited for backyard gardens. This method includes most of the key components that are practiced with all sustainable gardening styles. French intensive gardening is usually done in raised beds, where a generous amount of compost is mixed with the native soil. Of course, the raised beds keep the mixture right where it belongs. You want to avoid having your feet compact the garden soil, so most raised garden beds are narrow enough that you can reach from one side of the bed to the middle (i.e., about 4 feet wide). French intensive gardening veers off from traditional vegetable gardening in that the veggies are intensively planted. The “normal” spacing advice is tossed out the window, and crops are planted up to five times closer than what is recommended. Basically, you want the leaves from the individual plants to touch each other at maturity (think, “no bare soil showing”). Close spacing prevents weed seeds from getting any sun and vegetable plants crowd them out. Plus, soil that’s protected from the sun (no bare soil) helps with moisture retention. Planting so tightly may seem counterintuitive, but I tend to plant intensively by nature, and it works extremely well.
Each of these styles is natural for incorporating individual regenerative practices, such as no-till gardening or carbon farming. No-till (or no-dig) gardening is the practice of nurturing soil microbiology by avoiding intentional soil disruption. Carbon farming is the practice of sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil through a variety of practices. Read more about it in chapter 6.
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A Starting Point Whether you begin with permaculture, biodynamics, French intensive gardening, or another sustainable practice, each of these frameworks offers gardeners a starting point to understand how their little plot of land fits into the larger ecosystem. You may find that the language or techniques of one resonate more strongly with you than another. The gardening styles described in this chapter are a few examples to explore. But the truth is that most sustainable gardeners don’t adhere to a single practice. Most will take pieces of each and combine them with any number of sustainable practices (such as no-till gardening or carbon farming). Throughout this book, we’ll talk about creating a healthy backyard ecosystem, including how to create loamy, friable soil, eco-friendly pest control, wildlife habitats, interplanting crops, vertical vegetable gardening, succession planting, crop rotation, carbon farming, gardening as a community, and much more. My goal is to borrow from these frameworks, combine that knowledge with my own, and guide you to create the garden that is right for both your specific environment and you as an individual. After all, sustainable gardening isn’t a purely selfless act as our own health is improved along with the environment’s. Through regenerative farming practices, our soils are infused with nutrients, as are the foods we harvest. In the following chapters, we’ll dig into the specifics so you can support a biodiverse ecosystem that, in turn, supports you.
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