The Catalyst of Change: Some Thoughts

I often say “Don’t be a gardener. Be a Land Steward” as a way to promote eco-friendly gardening.

Which might bring you to the question:

What’s the Difference Between Gardening and Stewarding Your Backyard?

I’ve been thinking about this question for years. It started back in 2020 with some intense wildfires. Something about the smoke being from burning plants and trees got to me. It made the interconnectedness of everything in life painfully clear — I could feel it in my lungs, my nose, my head, and see it with my eyes.

The question became louder while reading Min Hyoung Song’s Climate Lyricism. This book really changed my approach to climate activism. Song talks about how literature and environmental activism can come together. The message? Reimagine your role in the conversation of climate change. Your everyday actions and creativity in sustainable gardening make a meaningful difference in climate resilience.

This book inspired me to imagine, as Song describes, "stupendously, wildly, deliriously better worlds" through “everyday projects” and a commitment to addressing climate change.

My garden and this blog have become a part of my personal everyday projects that Song suggests.

All of this led to me thinking about why it’s important to go from simply gardening to really taking care of the land.

👩🏻‍🌾 Why is this transition crucial? Yes, it’s important to preserve the beauty and productivity of our personal spaces. But it’s also essential to focus on larger environmental goals. When we care for our gardens with stewardship in mind, we can help fight climate change. This approach benefits you as a gardener, through a deeper connection to nature. But more importantly, your eco-friendly gardening practices benefit the environment, too.

Gardening vs. Stewardship Key Differences

Though a gardener and a land steward might seem similar, their roles and philosophies differ significantly.

Let’s lay down some groundwork to explore the core principles of stewardship.

A Gardener: Typically focuses on immediate results—vibrant flowers, bountiful vegetables, and a beautiful landscape.

The primary motivation often revolves around personal satisfaction and aesthetic pleasure, viewing the land primarily as a resource.

In Contrast, a Land Steward: Sees their yard as a living entity deserving of care and respect.

Stewardship is more about asking yourself, “What can I give back?” instead of just, “What can I get?” A real “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” moment. It's about nurturing the environment —tending to biodiversity, enriching the soil, and ensuring long-term sustainability.

A Balanced & Sustainable Approach to Home Gardening

Historically, many civilizations figured out this balance. For example, agroforestry practices in the eastern Amazon rainforest integrate plants and crops, a method that continues today as an effective strategy for carbon sequestration, as supported by NIH research. Traditional ecological knowledge informs our regenerative practices today.

These societies worked with the land like a partner instead of just using it as a resource. As David Ipina of the Yurok Tribe echoes this sentiment, saying, “Mother Earth is not a resource; she is an heirloom.”

This perspective shifts the purpose of growing plants from human-centric utility to reciprocal care.

In the end, caring for the land isn’t just about getting the most out of it with harmful stuff like herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. It’s about nurturing a sustainable relationship with the land, considering ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions (Wikipedia via landstewardship.org).

It’s really about changing how we think — from just “using” the land to actually living in harmony with it. In the end, these changes help make the world a better place, where everyone can have enough food and a balanced climate.

Have you seen the benefits your garden provides beyond its harvests?

Ecosystem Services as Stewardship

Now that we understand the distinguishing features of a land steward, let’s look at how you can improve your home garden by looking at your yard through the lens of ecosystem services.

Ecosystem services offer valuable benefits. They are a path to adding sustainability to your backyard when integrated with your gardening efforts.

1. Provisioning Services: These include tangible benefits like food, water, and raw materials. Regenerative gardening techniques enhance provisioning services in may ways, including:
   • Rainwater Catchment: I’ve installed a rainwater catchment system in my own yard, which helps sustain my veggie path without depleting our limited groundwater supply, especially during the dry summer months.
   • Organic Methods: Avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to maintain clean water and promote efficient nutrient cycling within our gardens.
2. Cultural Services: These are intangible benefits that nurture personal and cultural development. Gardens can be spaces of beauty, creativity, and cultural significance. Here are a few examples:
   • Inspiration from Nature: I find creative inspiration in my yard’s wild areas, where a diverse range of plants flourish throughout the year. Native species create mini habitats that support wildlife. This diversity, in turn, becomes a subject of my artistic illustrations.
   • Tranquility and Spirituality: Nature is often intertwined with spiritual practices. Cultivating a peaceful and biodiverse space can lead to personal rejuvenation and cultural enrichment.
3. Regulating Services: These services help maintain environmental balance. For instance:
   • Carbon Sequestration: Practices like no-till farming reduce soil disturbance, enhancing carbon storage. Similarly, fruit trees in my yard provide shade and cooling, and also contributes to carbon regulation.
   • Preventing Soil Erosion: Mulch and cover crops helps protect soil integrity and retain moisture. This makes my garden more resilient to climate variations.
4. Supporting Services: These are foundational processes that allow the environment to thrive. This might look like:
   • Support for Pollinators: Encourage pollinator-friendly flowers to boost biodiversity. For example, I’ve planted a mix of native plants that attract bees and butterflies, our essential pollinators.
   • Soil Enrichment: Compost and nitrogen-fixing plants like hairy vetch and fava beans naturally enhance soil fertility and nutrient cycling. This supports a healthy foundation to my garden.

Bring these ecosystem services into your “everyday project” of a garden, and you’ll start to see just how important you are within the whole ecosystem. Each action, no matter how small, creates positive ripples contribute to a healthier planet.

Core Principles of Regenerative Gardening

“Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards …. produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, conserve water, conserve wildlife, conserve open space, conserve scenery.”
— Wendell Berry

Regenerative gardening gives us a way to understand these responsibilities, and become what Wendell Berry calls “good farmers.”

This mindset transforms gardeners into active participants in land restoration through regenerative practices, including:

• No-till methods are a major part of regenerative gardening, to minimize soil disturbance to preserve soil life and carbon
• Crop rotation maintains soil health and prevent disease and pest issues
• Keep soil covered to ensure plants and soil life retain hydration
• Leave plant roots in the ground to add organic matter over time
• Compost to enhance soil fertility
• Grow perennials for habitat creation and long-term carbon storage
• Utilize organic amendments to bolster ecosystems
• Employ "chop and drop" methods to enrich soil with organic matter
• Apply organic manure to support nutrient cycling and sustainable livestock management

Essentially, we are reclaiming soil health, working to bring it back to life. This leads into a balanced backyard habitat.

Through these practices, we contribute to a collective movement toward a sustainable future. Even if our individual gardens are small, together, we are taking significant steps.

Examples of Land Stewardship in Action

• Leah Penniman: A food justice activist and educator at Soul Fire Farm in NY, an afro-indigenous community farm. she runs farmer trainings focused on regenerative organic practices. Listen to an interview where she explains her approach.
• Brigid LeFevre: A biodyamic farmer in Sweden has a beautiful way of talking about the land, and tends to her regenerative farm and CSA with true stewardship values. Watch a documentary on her here.
• Sean from Edible Acres: I really appreciate the way that Sean talks about this growing spaces, and how he interacts with his local wildlife. Here’s a video where he talks about creating housing for mason bees.
• Michelle Week: I was inspired by the dry farming techniques that Michele uses to help her land adapt with a changing climate. Watch her feature on PBS Terra as part of their Women of the Earth series.
• Inspiratoriet: A gardener who tends to the land and delights in the beauty of the surrounding habitat. Watch this video where she begins the installation of a new butterfly garden!

👩🏻‍🌾 Read more: Get a step-by-step guide on how to transition to regenerative gardening

Land Access & Community

Not everyone has a plot of land to care for, and that’s something that we need to acknowledge. I recognize the inequalities of land ownership and the cost of living.

The land I work on isn’t just mind; it’s something I share with my community and nature. It’s connected to everything.

For those looking to engage with land care without a backyard, here are some avenues to explore:

• Join Local Community Gardens: Many cities offer spaces open to the public. This is an opportunity for collective stewardship and learning. Search communitygarden.org for one near you!
• Connect with Landowners Online: Platforms and initiatives exist that connect those without land with those who have space to share. Examples include:
  • Shared Earth
  • YardYum
  • Craigslist
• Seek Out Urban Gardening Programs: For example,
  • The community garden at Urban Farm in Denver, CO
  • Become an apprentice at the Food Forest Initative in Portland, OR
  • Gardening Volunteers needed at Solid Ground in Seattle, Washington

These resources are great for getting you closer to the land, even if you don’t “own” it yourself.

A shift in perspective

Change how you see things: become a land steward and build a positive relationship with nature. The principles of stewardship let us participate in a vibrant landscape where both the land and its people can thrive. Each small change in your gardening practices not only enriches your immediate surroundings but also resonates with global sustainability efforts.

As you embark on this journey, consider what step you will take this growing season to cultivate — as Min Hyoung Song urges us to in Climate Lyricism — "stupendously, wildly, deliriously better worlds," sustaining attention to climate change through your everyday-life projects.

Together, our small actions can lead to a big movement towards a sustainable future.

‍