The storm of climate change has been steadily gathering over the past few decades, threatening to bring havoc upon our planet. In 2016 at the Paris Climate Agreement, countries pledged to do what they can to keep climate change below 2 degrees and preferably below 1.5. Now, less than a decade later, global average temperatures have risen by 1.3%, and nothing seems to be getting done by our policymakers to change this. The frustration and anxiety can be overwhelming at times. We can do a lot to help tackle climate change and look after our mental well-being during this time to ensure that we don’t shut down and become stoic. And, like so many things, it starts with a seed.
Resilient Gardens
Resilient gardening means building spaces that can withstand heat and dehydration in summer, and cold and wet weather in winter. Instead of cultivating spaces filled with finicky plants, prone to dying if conditions veer off the norm for more than a few days we need to start choosing hardy plants that are adaptable and strong. We can also build features into our gardens to help them cope. This can include drainage systems and rainwater harvesting systems, using permeable materials and building healthy soil.
Storing and saving our own seeds can also help to build climate resilience. By saving seeds, we can adapt the plants that we grow in our gardens and on our allotments to our local conditions. As these conditions gradually change, so too will the plants’ ability to cope with them.
Cultivating a garden that contains sturdy, resilient plants, produces and uses its own seeds, has healthy soil and harvests and uses its own rainwater builds resilience in other ways too by reducing our impact on the planet.
Resilient plants
Most of us don’t know a lot about the origins of our plants before we get them from a garden centre or online. Whilst having plants in our garden is undeniably better than not having any plants, some plants have a more positive impact than others. Plants that are sourced from elsewhere in the EU are still being grown in peat, which has a devastating effect on this precious natural resource and the climate. Some are also grown with systemic pesticides. These are soluble pesticides taken up by the plant roots, making the plant toxic to small creatures such as bees, butterflies and beetles. Then, of course, our plants also have a carbon footprint despite doing their best to counter it with photosynthesis. Plants shipped from abroad, packaged in plastic, and grown in heated, lit greenhouses using chemical fertilisers and pesticides will never be the best climate-friendly solution. The best thing to do is source your plants locally from places you trust. I highly recommend friends’ gardens for this. If you are able to join a local gardening club, you will instantly have a number of friends willing to share divided plants, cuttings, seeds and seedlings with you. This is by far the best way of sourcing plants. Better still, these plants will be suited to your environment. If you have to buy plants, do your research and ask questions. The simple act of being mindful about your purchases can help to quell anxiety about at least your own part in the climate crisis.
Building soil health
Soil health is one of the most important things in the garden. Not only does healthy soil support healthy plants (which means less need to source replacements), but it also helps your plants cope with extreme weather events and sequester carbon. Healthy soil will have a naturally built structure. This structure is perfectly designed to improve infiltration and store more water. This helps to reduce flooding in our wetter winters and improve water availability in the soil during hot, dry summers. The increased permeability of healthy soils means that we don’t lose as much water through run-off, we shouldn’t get so much standing water, and water will be available at root level most of the time.
Building soil health in your garden or on your allotment is also a really positive thing to do to help fight climate change. Soils are capable of storing an immense amount of carbon, so you can build your very own carbon sink simply by adding as much organic matter to your garden as possible through composting and growing.
Using Dalefoot’s mulches is a great way to naturally improve soil health. If you have sandy soil, Double Strength will add nutrients and improve water retention. If you have clay soils, Lakeland Gold will improve your soil structure, improving permeability and building organic matter content.
Using rainwater
This time of year, it’s difficult to remember a time when it wasn’t wet outside and underfoot. But in the heat of summer, rainwater reserves can become a lifeline. During drought conditions, extreme pressure is put on our natural waterways: streams, rivers and lakes, endangering the wildlife that depends on them. Reservoirs become dangerously low, sometimes even emptying. By collecting and using rainwater, we can all play our part in not adding to their stress. The more rainwater we can collect, store and use, the less impact our garden will have on the environment around it.
Looking after your mental health
We have long known about the effects of gardening on mental health. Unfortunately, in a changing climate, even gardening becomes more of a challenge, and we need to build resilient gardens that look after themselves and us. Spending time outside is known to calm us physically and mentally, and the effect is enhanced when the environment we are surrounded with is full of plants. Taking regular trips to forests, moors, and other natural environments can also help us to feel more connected to the world and relieve anxiety.
Doing something positive in the environment around us can help us regain a sense of control and calm. If you aren’t able to create a resilient garden, spending time outdoors and supporting green initiatives is a great way to stay positive and look after yourself and the planet.
When you have to make purchases, try to support ethical, sustainable companies like Dalefoot Composts. This will help you stay positive and connect with people who are making a difference in the fight against climate change.
Becky
About Me:
Becky Searle is a garden writer, kitchen gardener and soil expert. Her new book Grow a New Garden will be released in April 2025 and looks at how to start in a new garden or start over in an existing garden. It covers how to deal with poor soil and how to plan the space, along with easy-to-follow garden design tips. Available for pre-order now.
If you want to follow Becky's journey, follow @Sow_Much_More on Instagram or Sow Much More on Facebook.