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a weekly-ish newsletter that will teach you the science behind regenerative gardening, with action steps to help you make a difference in your backyard.
June is just around the corner.
Daylight stretches well into the evening, the sun has started to angle itself higher in the sky, and the garden is going through a major growth spurt.
In other words, it’s go time. or is it grow time?
It might feel like we should stay in the present moment and really relish spring before the heat sets in.
Well, okay you have a point there. You should!
But also, this late-May early-June moment gives us some great opportunities to prep your garden so it’s more resilient in the summer.
Think of it this way: instead of rushing around in July the week before a heatwave to help your garden to survive, you can leisurely take actions now that will prepare your garden for those soaring temps later.
It’s like doing an end-of-the-semester project little by little, instead of waiting until the weekend before it’s due to start in a panic. Your future self will thank you. A stitch in time saves nine.
Don’t worry - even if you weren’t that type of student, regenerative practices will help guide you to take meaningful action over the next couple of weeks to support your garden’s future health.
Keep scrolling to see more details on each task below!
📈 Option 1: Google Sheets (copy to your own account):
📎 Option 2: PDF Download
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Don’t worry, there are more details for every task below the schedule.
Week 1: May 23rd-25th
Week 2: May 30th-June 1st
Week 3: June 6th-8th
Week 4: June 13th-15th
Let’s look at the sustainable gardening techniques that will prepare your garden for the hotter months - in a way that helps you to both adopt eco-friendly methods and enrich your garden’s health over time.
to help your garden microbiome be more resourced.
This is a great way to be more self-sufficient, since you’re reducing your need for external inputs.
Some of the easier ones involve simple ingredients like rice and a small amount of forest soil, or milk. I like KNFJohn’s videos for simple explanations of each amendment.
to your garden soil as mulch to add organic matter to your soil, which will help retain water.
This is a great resource of free mulch that helps regulate soil temperatures and water levels during the summer. Aim for clippings that are free of weed seeds, and only use grass that hasn’t been treated with any chemicals.
sow tall crops on the west side of a garden bed, and later plant heat-sensitive crops there under its shade.
Runner beans are a classic choice for this, especially paired with a trellis - I think I first saw this tip on a Huw Richards video.
do you need more for backyard biodiversity?
Attractive blooms boost pollinator populations, so your harvests are more abundant. Plus, beneficial insects are attracted to flowers and herbs too, which can help with pest issues naturally.
Sow quick-to-mature options, such as:
helps with nutrient uptake and soil structure, but also helps deliver water to plants in times of drought.
Two summers ago, I tried adding mycorrhizal fungi to some of my tomato plants, and was blown away by how much better they performed, and how huge the tomatoes were compared to my other plants.
this will help your garden to stay hydrated with less water, and less effort on your part.
Instead of standing in the sun on a blazing day to water your garden you can just turn on the tap - or better yet, set a timer - and then turn it off afterwards.
I usually let mine run for 30-60 minutes but your time will vary on the size of your irrigations system and water pressure. I’ve noticed that we use so much less water since installing our system.
so things can break down in your current pile so you can add it to your beds for an autumn refresh.
Layer green compost materials like grass clippings with browns like organic straw to kickstart decomposition.
I like to add kitchen waste like coffee grounds and eggshells, which improve compost structure and add essential nutrients such as calcium. Use a compost thermometer to ensure the pile reaches temperatures sufficient to decompose organic material effectively.
for healthy nutrients and soil bacteria.
Compost tea can be made with an assortment of plants, not just nettles. I have a batch brewing right now with nettles, yarrow leaves, motherwort leaves, and cleavers. You can also use comfrey leaves, borage leaves, or dandelion leaves.
It’s pretty easy.
to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
Trim off suckers, keep things trellised, and make sure you’re watering at a consistent pace to help prevent blossom end rot.
so you have enough seeds for your autumn and overwintering crops.
Think: leeks, purple sprouting broccoli, beets, hardy kale varieties, year-round cauliflower, broccoli, fall rapini, fennel, over-wintering fava beans, etc.
Set a calendar reminder in late June/early July to get your autumn crop seeds sown in modules so that your plants have a long enough growing season to produce abundantly.
for homemade vermicompost applications.
Vermicompost is an excellent source of organic matter, nutrients, and beneficial soil microbes.
I have the Worm Bin 360 and love how I can have a fully worm-digested layer rest while the worms are working on a fresh batch of kitchen scraps.
so you can remedy them quickly.
Here’s a whole article on this. Better to correct any nutrient imbalances now when plants aren’t as stressed from heat later in the season.
for more drought-tolerant plants.
Watering your plants a little less frequently — but more deeply — will help your plants to grow deeper root systems. This will make them ready to search for water in lower layers of the soil during any upcoming summer droughts.
for your future self.
I like to wash all of my seed starting equipment with soapy water. It’s a bit labor intensive to scrub inside of all of the modules, but it means that my upcoming seedlings are less likely to succumb to any residual disease that might be lingering.
Doing this now — before your garden is in jungle mode mid-summer — means you’ll have one less thing to do later.
it will be easier to remember which seeds to harvest later.
Got any plants that are performing really well? Tag them or photograph their location now, so that once the crop has died back and the seeds have formed, you remember which ones to gather seeds from.
Try Hugelkultur — the process of layering logs, branches, leaves, compost, and soil in order to retain moisture.
If you have a deep garden bed like this, start with logs and branches and then work your way up. If you have a shallow garden bed like this, start with marker-thick branches chopped up into pieces up to 2 feet long, and work your way up. This would be especially supportive for folks who experience summer droughts regularly.
Install a gray water system, so you can recycle your household water in the garden.
You’ll need to switch to sustainable soaps, but that’s a win-win if you ask me! Gray water is an especially great resource for trees or shrub plantings, or any ornamentals where the water doesn’t contact the harvestable part of the plant.
You’ve made it through the checklist, and now your garden is ready to face the warmth of summer with resilience. Your future garden will thank you with healthy harvests.
So go ahead, take a moment to enjoy the calm you've sown before the summer heat sets in. Maybe pour yourself a glass of iced tea, sit back, and watch your efforts pay off. You've earned it!
