For much of my life, my perception of a successful garden had been based on the manicured lawn, cookie-cutter trimmed hedges and white-picket fence “aesthetic” that symbolized the Great American Dream.
My perception was changed, and it all started with a Zoom meeting one fateful night where I was introduced to a pagan gardening group that became my most valuable educational resource. I should probably note here that I am a pagan atheist. Most of us are avid gardeners and environmentalists because the seasonal wheel of the year largely guides our practices, rituals and observances.
Before I met this group, I knew some things, like why weed killers and herbicides are harmful. And I had already begun researching urban permaculture, a regenerative technique that emphasizes working with the type of land you have instead of against it.
For example, if you have a hilly area with clay-rich soil that collects most of the water from your yard when it rains, instead of amending it to suit certain plants, you can create a rain garden or wetland “neighborhood” with a diversity of native and beneficial non-native companion plants that thrive in that kind of soil without competing against each other.
Some of the most important things I’ve learned so far include how different people define weeds, how many of those so-called weeds are edible and medicinal, the difference between native, non-native and invasive plants, and the environmental impact of a lawn.
Eventually, I gained the confidence to also learn from observation and experimentation in my yard in Akron, where my husband and I bought a house in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood during the pandemic.
You’ll see a lot of ecologists and soil health experts belaboring some version of the phrase, “get rid of your lawn!” After trying different methods over the last three years, including dumping a gallon of clover seeds all over our yard, I’m going to try something new this season.
Instead of tediously pulling every single unwanted and invasive plant and digging up the soil – a behemoth task that would take me longer than a month – I’m spending this last month of the growing season using a special Japanese tool, the Hori-Hori knife, to slice them at the base, so I leave the soil and its inhabitants undisturbed.
Once things begin to brown and die off for the season, I will then cover those patches with a layer of cardboard, which acts as a “weed barrier,” top it with a bit of compost mixed with plain topsoil, then add a dense layer of a native ground cover seed mix. I’ll cover that with a loose layer of topsoil and, finally, lay down mulch.
Soil health expert Tory Erpenbeck, who has a wonderful list of free resources on his website, gave me a lot of great information. He was on the “Sound of Ideas” this year, informing us about the correlation between soil health, environmental health and public health.
His checklist for each season was monumental in keeping me organized and preventing me from becoming overwhelmed.
So, if you’re looking to begin your preparation journey, here are a few basics from that checklist you could start with this year:
Leave your leaves: Even if you mow them and add them to your compost, you’re removing vital food and shelter that native insects and microbes rely on. I made that mistake last year and this year, we’ve had an entire patch of cracked, unhealthy dirt, which is a sign of poor quality.
Make compost tea: One thing that blew my mind was that even garden chemicals labeled organic, like “neem oil spray,” are considered toxic to native bees and other beneficial microbes. Instead, replace that with a compost tea foliar spray that will repel the pests and mildew even from your house plants. Tory has detailed instructions, but, basically, a clean jar full of unwashed plant clippings and brown sugar stored in a cool, dark space will eventually become a liquid that can be used to make an organic and healthy spray.
Save those seeds: Look for any leftover flower pods that are beginning to brown or save any fruit and veggies you won’t eat. Those are your seeds and if you keep saving them, that’s free seeds for you for life! You won’t burn gas by going to the garden center or burn cash buying them.
Give those ideas a try and remember that gardening is all about trial and error, and continuous growth (pun intended). The green thumb is a myth. Stick with it. And do your research. If you want to email me at jshah@ideastream.org, I’m always up for talking about plants and the environment.
So, get those planners out, research native versus invasive plants, make your list and go get into the weeds, literally.
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