Garden with Ernest
Sustainable Food Gardening
Simply put, sustainable food gardening is a way of growing food organically, in your garden that does not harm the planet. If you garden sustainably and grow some of your own food using sustainable methods, you can assist in the fight against climate change by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one garden at a time.
It is estimated that 87% of people living in the UK have a garden, that is approximately 23 million gardens. Worldwide, gardeners can make a real difference, to a cleaner, greener future.
Even if you do not own a garden it is still possible to grow food sustainably, and be environmentally friendly. https://gardenwithernest.com/how-to-grow-vegetables-without-a-garden/
Why do we need to grow our food sustainably ?
When you grow food sustainably, and garden organically, you will use less of the world’s valuable resources. For example by utilizing garden waste to make mulch, reduces the need for watering. So you will use less drinking water. And help with the now annual water shortages that most of us are experiencing.
Mulch is very important in a green garden
Most of us are familiar with the idea of recycling in our homes. Making mulch is an ecological way of recycling grass clippings and weeds. Therefore reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill. Nothing could be simpler. Mulch is like a biodegradable, carpet. That slowly decomposes naturally, feeding the soil.
Cover crops
By keeping the soil covered with organic mulches or cover crops, you help prevent soil erosion. Also encourage biodiversity, all of these are critical in the face of climate change. So by using sustainable food gardening methods, you can help to create more resilient food systems, in your garden, that will be better able to cope with climate change, such as droughts, floods and other extreme weather events.
Growing food in our garden reduces carbon
Furthermore, by growing crops in our gardens, we will help decrease the amount of energy needed for food distribution. Which will reduce, food miles and some of the carbon emissions created by transportation.
Adopting the principles of an environmentally friendly garden builds healthy soils, which are better able to store carbon and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This is especially true when we use the “No dig” method of gardening.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the most popular methods of gardening sustainably that we can easily adopt in our gardens.
No dig gardening
I have already mentioned the “No dig” method of gardening. I will now give you a brief outline of the benefits of a no dig garden and the downside to digging. Ploughing, rotavating, or even simply digging with the spade or garden fork exposes soil microorganisms to the sun and air, accelerating the loss of stored carbon into the atmosphere. So the “No dig” concept, is a very sustainable way of being an low-carbon gardener.
It is not a sin to own a spade, but think twice before rotavating your entire plot, let go of the idea that bare soil is desirable and beneficial.
Polyculture benefits biodiversity
Another important type of sustainable food gardening, that we can all adopt is polyculture. Poly means many, so instead of growing single types of crops in rows. Polyculture principles mix up the many different types of crops. There are many benefits and a few downfalls to this kind of growing, but I believe the benefits outweigh the downfalls.
Planting a polyculture garden means you can fit in a lot of different plants in the same space. Giving you a lot of variety to your meals. A fresh, healthy bowl of mixed salad and herbs instead of a plate full of lettuce.
Food forests are a good way of sustainably growing food in our gardens
Basically, a food forest takes the principle of polyculture one step further. The name food forest is a little misleading. It implies that you need a huge area of land in which to grow a forest, this is not necessarily the case. It is possible to grow a simple food forest in a very small area, or even adopt the principle in a few pots on your balcony.
The idea behind a food forest is that we are imitating how a natural forest edge would grow in the wild. Therefore we are using the same principles as nature and copying her wisdom.
A food forest can be a great idea for someone new to gardening.
Planting trees offsets our carbon footprint
Fruit trees form the back bone of a food forest. They also supply nest sights and homes for birds, flowers for pollinators as well as, fruit, nuts or berries. They produce oxygen, help with air pollution and lock in carbon. https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/planting-trees-reduce-carbon-footprint
Wild plants & Weeds
And at this point I would like to give a shout-out to weeds. I would like you to think about including some of them into whatever garden design that you choose. For both weeds and wild plants are the best things we can grow to assist nature in her recovery and boost biodiversity.
You don’t have to let your garden be overrun with weeds, you don’t need to keep them all. But it may be a surprise for you to hear that a lot of common garden weeds are edible. This really is free and easy green-food. Weeds also make free nutrient rich compost.
Composting makes a garden productive and sustainable
Compost helps to reduce soil erosion. And promotes healthy plant growth, giving plants the strength to fight diseases.
Additionally, composting also helps save water, due to its capacity to hold on to water like a sponge and release it slowly. So compost is not only an asset in stormwater management but also in water conservation. Humus rich soils improves your growing conditions by making your plot more drought tolerant.
Recycle biodegradable garden waste
Composting also reduces garden waste, transforming it into an environmentally friendly fertilizer that would otherwise go into landfill. And reduces costs as you don’t need to buy feed for your plants.
On top of all that, it also creates a habitat and a food source for many different types of insects.
Why do we need to worry about insects ?
Why do we need to worry about insects ?
The biological basis for all life on our planet is created by bugs and insects. They pollinate plants, manage the populations of other species, cycle nutrients. And they provide a key source of food for birds and animals.
We really need worms and other nematodes, for they break down and consume organic matter that is decaying in the soil. Additionally their labyrinth of tunnels aerate the soil and allow excess water to drain away.
Insects flourish in an ecologically sustainable garden. And they are essential in sustaining healthy ecosystems.
How can we control pests without poison?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic approach to pest control, that emphasizes the use of natural and organic methods. And biological controls, that help prevent pest problems and reduce the need for harmful pesticides.
Lastly, sustainable food gardening is good for our health
Our health is interconnected and dependent upon the health of our planet. If you want to help fight global warming, slow climate change, start by improving the health and diversity of your own garden. Then start growing your own healthy attainable food, sustainably.
Just to remind you, the area of gardens in the UK is about 433,000 hectares, or 4,330 Square kilometres. That is a heck of a lot. So what we do with those hectares, has a huge impact not only directly on our health but also on the health of our planet.
Every seed planted has the potential, to help us grow a greener world.
2 responses to “What is Sustainable food Gardening ?”
Thank you for providing a detailed but easy to follow guide to sustainable gardening. I’m interested in trying a no dig garden, so this was a great explanation of how to do it and the many benefits.
Thank you Bernadette, I will be writing a post all about No Dig gardening soon.