Tag: the regenerative garden

How to Make a Little Seed Library in Your Community – Garden Therapy

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The love of gardening begins with a seed. Through a seed library, you can encourage others in your neighbourhood to find this love and spread some seedling joy. Rising in popularity, seed libraries have become community hubs to share seeds and extras supplies so everyone can have blooming, thriving gardens. Here’s how to find one in your neighbourhood or start one of your very own!

I’m obsessed with my neighbourhood. It’s been the perfect place to raise my kiddo, between his after-school centre to the lake down the road for daily walks. I know my neighbours well, making wreaths with them during the holidays and talking plants in the summer.

The reason it’s so great is the sense of community here. No one hesitates to buy from the local kid’s lemonade stand or lend out a garden tool if someone needs to borrow it. While I love the community gardens, bulletins, and parks, one of the things I adore the most are seed libraries. They are the combination of two of my favourite things…community and the garden!

Seed libraries are one of the many projects in my upcoming book, The Regenerative Garden. Inside the book, I include many sustainable practices and concepts to employ in the garden as well as over 80 projects and designs to help you implement the ideas.

I dedicated a whole chapter to building community, including seed libraries! Be sure to check it out to see many, many more interesting projects to implement in your garden.

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Seed libraries can be extremely simple, becoming part of your garden.

What is a Seed Library?

Much like Little Free Libraries, seed libraries are tiny places throughout the community where people can find free items. Inside, local members of the community share seeds either purchased in excess or gathered from seeds in their own garden. You can also find easily accessible seedlings, plants, cuttings, and seed-starting supplies all for free.

Seed libraries have a host of benefits. They’re an opportunity to share skills and knowledge with neighbours, bring greater food security, and provide environmental benefits.

I love seeing seeds that come from someone’s own garden best, as you know they come from a plant that has already grown in your microclimate. It’s a sure sign of success for your own garden!

A local seed library can also share heirloom seeds that may be difficult to come by otherwise. These are such special seeds, and sharing them with the community is a treat.

In my neighbourhood, the Zucchini Racer committee donates zucchini seeds to all the community libraries so that community members can grow their own racer for the Fall Fair. It’s something Kiddo and I love to partake in together.

In some areas, the seed library switches to a little free book library in winter that focuses on gardening and nature. This makes them a useful pitstop and gardening hub year-round.

Kiddo ready for zucchini racing.

How to Find a Seed Library Near Me

The boxes are not large and you can find them in the most surprising of places. Most are run by a member of the community in front of their front yard. Others can be found inside community gardens, by community centres, or churches.

A great place to start is actually by searching for a Little Free Library. These tend to be easier to find and are even listed on Google Maps sometimes. Some have accompanying seed libraries or may have seeds and other free items in addition to books.

Some libraries even have seed lending programs. A local horticultural group or Facebook group may also be a good resource when seeking out a seed library near you.

Your best bet? Take a walk through the neighbourhood. Once you are looking for something, you begin to see it everywhere! And if you can’t find one, maybe it’s time to start one yourself.

Some seed libraries are even listed on Google Maps.

How to Make Your Own Seed Library

Besides making the actual seed library, there are a few main components you may not have considered, including managing the space and getting community members to engage.

Build

I have seen seed libraries made of all kinds of materials. They can look similar to a Little Free Library, where they become an art project in itself, or can be as simple as a plastic container on a post. Most are made from recycled or found materials like cabinets or old public newspaper boxes.

Since the structure will be outside, you need to make sure it stays nice and dry inside and can withstand the elements. A weatherproof, sloped roof will ensure that water runs off rather than in. Outdoor paint protects the walls as well. You also want to make sure the door to where the seeds are kept is able to shut securely.

Make sure the library is in an easily accessible public space. You should also check with local bylaws that you’re allowed to build such a structure.

Then, list the location online so that people can search for and find it.

Check your local bylaws before building a seed library.

Stock

Once the structure is ready, it’s time to fill it full of seeds. When first starting, you can reach out to local seed companies for stock that they will need to redistribute to the community before it expires.

Besides seeds, include information on how to plant seeds, tend plants, and save seeds. Stock the shelves with empty seed or coin envelopes and pens. Seed envelopes can also be used to divide seed packages into smaller portions, so everyone takes only what they need.

Manage

A person or a group needs to manage the seed library. Checking on it frequently ensures that there is no weather damage to the structure, the seeds haven’t expired, and whether there needs to be a call out for more materials.

For the most part, these things tend to run fine all on their own from the community members. People are happy to donate their extra seeds and supplies so that fellow gardeners can enjoy what they no longer need.

Encouraging the community to keep the seeds flowing by giving and receiving will refresh the supply enough to circulate plenty of seeds. For all donated seeds, make sure to have a sign encouraging the rules for labelling and providing growing info.

Add some instructions to your seed library to keep management easy.

Educate

Seed libraries are great places for beginner gardeners to start exploring their green thumb. Make sure there are also educational resources in the seed library to encourage successful seed starting.

It’s also a good idea to manage expectations for the seed library. Germination rates will not be as good as they would be if the seed packages had been recently collected and stored in a cool, dry location.

The seed-sharing library will not be an ideal climate for long-term storage; many seeds will come from seed companies that are donating old stock, and community members may donate seeds past their prime.

Make a note of what people can expect from the seeds to curb expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making a Seed Library

What is the purpose of a seed library?

Seed libraries help to foster community relationships and encourage the love of gardening. They also exist to share heirloom seeds that work well in certain microclimates and protect food security for many people by growing their own food.

Having one in the community is a great place to connect beginner gardeners with experienced gardeners and to get the conversation around gardening going.

Are seed libraries legal?

There are many rules and laws guarding the exchange of seeds. Seed libraries enter into a bit of a legal grey area. Most commercial seeds are patented hybridized or GMO seeds. Under the law, farmers cannot save and replant seeds and must buy ones every year.

However, with seed libraries, seeds are not being sold; instead, they are given free to help foster community and the love of gardening. While not completely exempt from seed laws, seed libraries embrace a giving spirit and are usually not a problem in most states and provinces. Be sure to check local bylaws for rules regarding structures such as farm stands.

With all this in mind, I know you’ll create an amazing seed-sharing library for your community to enjoy. If you do set one up, drop it in the comments down below. Someone from your town or city may very well see it!

More Community Building Projects

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.

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Stephanie Rose

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February 22, 2026
How Modern Gardeners Can Understand Changing Microclimates –
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Gardening ten years ago is not the same as gardening today. With temperatures changing and drastic weather conditions becoming increasingly frequent, gardeners can no longer rely on old averages and practices. Understanding how local climate works now, not ten years ago, may be the key to a successful garden amongst changing times.

A few months ago when I was hosting The Regenerative Garden Book Club, I couldn’t stop coughing. My apartment felt as though it were getting smoky. I almost feared that a fire was happening downstairs!

It turns out that my tenant in the unit below me was cooking a really hot pepper. The smell wafted up and it got so bad that I have to open all my windows and turn on my air purifiers to get rid of the smell.

This past summer, we had a very intense heatwave. I’m talking more than 40 degrees Celcius in June. For Vancouver, this is practically unheard of. And since peppers get hotter with more intense heat while growing, the resulting warm weather meant that the local peppers were quite the doozy.

Funny enough, my solution was air purifiers, another result of my local weather. Wildfire season is now an annual thing here in BC, which means at some point in the summer we can expect Vancouver to be blanketed in smoke. Like how some consider air conditioning a must, air purifiers have become essential for me in my home. Without it, it becomes difficult to breathe amongst the smoke.

Without a doubt, the weather is changing and it’s affecting us every day, be it as big as a wildfire or as small as hotter peppers.

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Understanding Microclimates in Gardening

As gardeners, we are constantly looking at weather patterns. When will the ground thaw and allow us to plant our seedlings? At what time of day is the sun the hottest so we can offer shade protection for our plants? When will the first freeze come and officially end the gardening season?

To understand the weather, we typically would look at the thirty-year historical average of data. Before, this could give us some fairly accurate data. But now, the weather is too rapidly changing for us to rely on this information.

The weather has never been more different than it is today.

Instead, we all must come to understand our individual microclimates and work within them. Even in established zones, things can vary greatly.

For instance, in the Greater Vancouver Area, our mountains are always rainier. But when you get to the coast, it’s very sunny along the water. Go a further half an hour away and there’s even more sun.

Everybody has a unique microclimate to deal with in their own garden.

Regenerative Gardening Climate Practices

When it comes to climate, there’s quite a bit to sit and think on. To begin, we need to see where we’re at, where we’re going, and then identify where we need to make the changes.

For me, the effort that goes into making a regenerative garden initially pays off as it is less work for me to manage. A big part of that is understanding how to work with the natural cycles, the land around you, and letting the ecosystem regenerate itself.

Tracking and harnessing climate doesn’t have to fall on meteorologists. And it doesn’t have to be difficult either. You can use the climate’s natural energy combined with smart design systems that work for, not against you, in your microclimate.

In cold regions, you can capture heat with thermal masses or greenhouses. In warm regions, you can cool plants with shade and water. And if set your systems up right, your garden will take it from there!

Umbrella greenhouse

Climate-Friendly Garden Projects

When it comes to exploring the power of climate in the garden, there are many projects and designs you can implement into the garden. Here are a few.
- Greenhouses: a greenhouse can help to extend the season in colder climate. They capture and store heat and light while also protecting plants from wildlife. They don’t have to be big either. A simple clear umbrella over a planter does the trick.
- Thermal mass: structures can actually capture, hold, and radiate heat to warm plants and soil around it. With the right materials, you can harness the power of the sun for your plants.
- Herb spirals: not only do they add additional space to your garden, but they allow you to use materials to help hold heat and place plants in varying levels of sunlight.
- Windbreaks: while I love a cool summer breeze, you can have too much of a good thing sometimes. Windbreaks create protection from strong winds for more delicate plants.
- Reforestation: many of us live in communities that once use to house many more trees. Not only are they beautiful, but trees help to cool streets with their shade and feed the soil. Making an effort to replant trees in neighbourhoods is a must.
Herb spiral

Frequently Asked Questions About Climate in Gardening

Why Does Climate Matter in Gardening?

Understanding climate allows you to grow healthier and more resilient plants for your area. Some plants can be costly and you want to make sure they’re going to survive in your climate.

Climate includes rain/snowfall, heat, wind, and humidity. All of these play a factor in your unique climate conditions and each plant will have different ideal conditions.

What’s the Best Climate for Gardening?

Just about any climate can grow all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and plants. Lower zones are cold-hardy and can withstand colder temperatures. Some plants even need the cold in order to germinate or grow in the spring. Plants with higher zones are more likely to handle the heat.

Zones 9-11 are fairly tropical, while zones 3-7 can survive some cold conditions but won’t handle prolonged cold, and anything below 3 is very cold tolerant.

Why Do Climate Zones Matter?

Understanding your climate zone can help you identify what kind of plants will grow best in your garden. A zone will have similar weather conditions, humidity, and precipitation levels.

If a plant says it grows well in your zone, it works well with your rainfall amount, sunlight levels, wind, humidity, heat, cold, and other climate conditions. For a successful garden, you want to try and grow plants that work in your zone.

Our Next Steps

All of these projects can be found in my upcoming book, The Regenerative Garden. Beyond climate, I explore over 80 concepts and projects that can be applied in the home garden to make it more sustainable, self-reliant, and biodiverse.

Regenerative gardening is one sure way we can make an impact on our local communities. And when everyone starts to care about these practices, it makes an impact globally.

We can work with these changing cycles in our climate and speak loudly. Let everyone know that this is a planet we care about and want to keep caring out.

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose

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January 23, 2026
Applying Water Conservation Systems in Your Garden – Garden Therapy
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What if I told you that you could meet all your gardening needs with captured, cached or recycled water? Not only will this lower your watering bill, but you’ll be able to reduce water waste by recycling water and using it as much as possible. Here’s why you need to employ water conservation practices in your home garden.

One drop of water has been through so much, recycled endlessly through billions of years. The water we use now is the same water used long before we ever existed. But sadly, we do not treat this water with much respect.

As a regenerative gardener, it pains me to see how much water we waste. We are so generously supplied with rainfall and we don’t take the time to save this water for a not-so-rainy day. Ideally, we should all be storing this water for future use rather than overloading our storm sewers!

One of the main components of my upcoming book, The Regenerative Garden, focuses on water conservation and catchment systems and how to use them in your own garden. I want to share a little bit about that with you today!

This post will cover…

Why is Water Conservation Important?

The total amount of water we have in the world is finite. With so much of it becoming polluted and unusable as drinking water, we need to start using it more responsibly. As gardeners, thinking about water conservation is our responsibility and a major step in creating a regenerative garden.

For over 25 years, I’ve lived in Vancouver which is known as a temperate rainforest. Normally, it has a lot of rainwater that cycles through. But as of lately, drought has entered that cycle and I’ve noticed a significant change. Yes, we are still “raincouver” with six months of solid rain, but we’ve never had these types of drought conditions before.

Since rainfall is lessening, the demand for water has gone up. The municipal systems that were developed to cache water are not large enough to provide the water we need. Wildfire season is now a new normal which calls for a high demand for water and we don’t have the catchment size to help put out the fires.

Australia and California deal with a lot more water catchment issues, but saving water is more and more important no matter what climate you’re in. Even us, in a place known for its rainy weather, need to think about water storage as a part of their home garden.

We can’t focus solely on the amount of water in our area, but instead on how we can catch it and use it for future use. From our environment, we can acquire naturally without needing to tap into our municipal water supply.

Let the Rain Fall Down!

Where do you begin with water conservation? It’s about embracing the rainfall we do have and using it to our advantage. A good place to always start is with your downspouts. Most downspouts are being redirected into sewage water or stormwater instead of being redirected into the land.

Every time we take our water and direct it into the streets, we’re taking it away from our yard and the streams. Instead of going into our land, we’re wasting good water and reprocessing it to use through our garden hose later.

Normally, the water would filter through the land and run back into the streams. Plants are used to being supported from the sky and now we’re changing that!

So, embrace the rain. Redirect your downspouts into water catchment systems like rain barrels and water cisterns and make them multi-faceted.

Rain barrel

How Safe is Roof Runoff for Garden Plants?

When it comes to using roof runoff, many people are concerned about how safe it is to use in the garden, especially when watering vegetables. All in all, it depends on your roof.

Solid, non-porous roofs work best for water collection, such as metal roofs. Just keep in mind that a galvanized zinc roof might have additional zinc which can stunt growth or cause leaves to curl.

Tile and shake roofs, or wood roofs, left untreated are completely safe to run off and use in the vegetable garden.

Asphalt or rubber roofs should be avoided as they can be high in anaerobic bacteria and petroleum that we wouldn’t want to use on our vegetables but can use on non-edible plants.

We still want to use all water and let our soil and plants filter it. They work as great biofilters and are the best natural way to filter water.

If you’re concerned, you can get your water tested. Mainly think about where you will be using it, how it filters, and maybe consider changing your roof material the next time you undergo renovations.

Rain garden

Water Catchment Systems for Your Garden

Water conservation isn’t about using only one water catchment system. The more and more systems you build, the less you rely on external sources to water your gardens. My own garden is a multi-faceted system designed to catch as much water as possible. Here are some of the best ways of saving water in your own home.

Olla water catchment system
- Rain barrel: redirects water from downspouts and the home into a catchment container that can be used for future irrigation.
- Olla water catchment system: unglazed terracotta pots are buried in the ground and filled with water. They then slowly irrigate when the surrounding soil and plants reach for it.
- Rain gardens: water is redirect to a basin filled with plants that love moisture and use their biofilters to filter the water. Upper swales have drought tolerant plants with deep roots to get groundwater when they can.
- Wicking beds: a giant self-watering container, the base of the container has a impermeable barrier to hold water below the plants. It’s often fed by overflow spouts.
- Self-watering planters: a pot designed to with a reservoir to hold excess water below the soil. As they need it, plants can reach below with their roots and wick up water.
Self-watering planter

You can find all of these projects in my upcoming book, The Regenerative Garden. I take you step-by-step on how you can easily DIY these own water catchment systems in your garden. Alongside water conservation practices, I provide plenty of projects to help build a self-sustaining, resilient garden for today’s world.

If you’re looking for ways to explore water conservation at your own home, be sure to pre-order your copy today!

More Posts About Water Conservation

A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
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Stephanie Rose

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January 10, 2026
Design a Dry River Bed and Solve Your Drainage Problem – Garden Therapy

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At my new house, my front lawn was all mud and pools of uneven, soggy ground. Rather than put all that water into the city drains, I redirected it to filter through the soil and water the surrounding plants. Design your own dry river bed, and you just might make your own drainage problems disappear…poof!

In my front yard, I planted a beautiful, meadow-like wildflower lawn. So far, it’s been the star of the block, as everyone stops and admires it.

For the wildflower lawn, I used the West Coast Seed Alternative Lawn Mix Wildflowers. I didn’t realize just how many wildflowers it would produce!

Because it has turf grasses, I thought there would be only a few flowers among the grass. I thought I would be able to mow it and use it like any other lawn.

But that hasn’t been the case at all. My expectations of the wildflower lawn were just blown out of the water.

While beautiful, and I wouldn’t change a thing, it meant that walking through our garden wasn’t going to be possible. To get to the backyard, we would go down the sidewalk, through a gate, down the street, and through another gate.

Complicated right?

I knew I needed a solution, and rather than build a simple pathway, I decided to solve another problem with my garden: the drainage.

Here’s how I made my dry river and what to know before you build your own.

My gorgeous wildflower front lawn before the dry river installation.

What is a Dry River?

Dry rivers are an ornamental solution to drainage problems in the garden. They create a water catchment space where water from your home can filter back into the soil. The surrounding plants can then reach down with their deeper roots and hydrate. It’s a win-win!

Dry river beds are made with river stones and mimic the look of a wild river. The result is a very natural-looking rock element in your garden. It can blend in or become a feature in itself, being both aesthetic and functional.

Dry rivers can feature many different kinds of rock, but I went with the classic rounded river rock.

Picking a Location for Your Dry River Bed

When I first moved into my house, it was evident that the front yard had a drainage problem. It was muddy and puddly and neglected.

I was initially inspired to put in a dry river because of the way the eavestroughs were designed. The gutters that collect off the roof were a little broken and poorly maintained and drained directly into the soil or went into underground pipes that took the water away from the house.

The yard, as a result has a very high water table. This means that in the summer drought months, the plants do quite well because they get enough supplemental water. I haven’t had to provide ANY supplemental water for my wildflower lawn so far.

But it also holds lots of water when things are cooler, and anything that doesn’t like wet feet won’t do well. The grass didn’t do well at all prior to the wildflower lawn, as it was just too damp in the winter months.

My front yard before its extreme makeover.

The early stages of my wildflower lawn, when it was still treadable.

Some of the water is redirected into the city runoff and then piped out to the ocean. This isn’t ideal, either. It doesn’t allow any of the rain that would naturally fall there to return to the soil. We should use the existing water on the land to support the plants.

This left me in a tricky spot, as I didn’t want to put any kind of drainage too close to the house—this can be problematic and cause rot on the house’s frame.

So I redirected the water back into the land, where it could be properly and efficiently drained. I moved the water to go into about the middle of the lawn where it would be away from the house but still feed the surrounding plants.

First, I needed to get the water flowing away from the house and into the soil with longer downspouts.

How to Make a Dry River Bed for Drainage

The first thing I did was redirect the eavestroughs to the middle of the wildflower lawn. This did mean I had to do some digging up, so more on that later!

Yes, digging up all these flowers did hurt my soul a bit.

I chose a general shape for my dry river, giving it curves and a naturalistic shape to weave through my lawn as a pathway, digging the flowers out as I went.

Since I wanted mine to be a pathway as well, I had it go all the way to the gate.

I then put a layer of landscape fabric over top of the curve I created. Depending on how much water and drainage you need, you can dig deeper and add a base layer of gravel to help hold onto excess rainwater. See an example of that kind of dry river bed in this post.

Make sure to use landscape fabric, not plastic. It needs to allow water to filter through.

For me, I just topped off my landscape fabric with river stones in two different sizes. I have smaller ones that are about 1-2 inches, and then larger stones that are 2-4 inches. So far, it’s been all I need!

I had it all mixed together to make laying it down easier.

I then had Kiddo reorganize the rocks. He wanted to organize them so that the larger ones were on the outside and the smaller ones were on the inside. We didn’t use any kind of edging.

Kiddo feels a lot of pride doing work in the garden, and he talks about the dry river all the time. I love seeing him become attached to the garden.

Before Kiddo organized it all!

Maintaining Your Dry River

So far, the only maintenance I’ve done to my front yard is to take grass shears and cut back the flowers along the edge of the dry river bed.

While I wanted a walking path, it is a little bit unstable to walk on. For someone like me with a disability, having a riverstone walkway can be a bit of a challenge. Twisted ankles are definitely a concern.

But for my family, it’s not supposed to be a major walking path. There will be no wheelbarrows or people walking it daily. It’s just for the animals and our family to use when they need to traverse across the wildflowers.

I may adjust it in the future, but for now, I’m content. What you can also do is add natural paver stones to the center to make it look more like a walkway.

Your dry river shouldn’t need much maintenance, but make any necessary adjustments as you go. It won’t be immediately evident how the drainage will work until it rains!

The wildflowers do flop onto the dry river bed, but grass shears are easy to use to clean it up.

Landscaping Your Dry River Bed

When I removed the wildflowers, I tried to keep them and transplant them. While the sweet alyssum transplanted well, most of the other flowers didn’t.

On one side of the dry river towards the house, I ended up digging out any remaining wildflowers and turning that space into a drought tolerant herb garden. So far, I have lavender, sage, rosemary, and some yarrow.

These drought tolerant plants will not need supplemental water in the summer, but the dry river will also help keep moisture in the ground where the deep roots of the perennials can reach them.

And the plants look beautiful as well!

Dry rivers are very similar to rain gardens and have many of the same principles. You can find more landscaping and plant ideas for your dry river in this rain gardens post.

This rain garden features native and drought-tolerant perennials.

More Ways to Design a Drought-Friendly Garden

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Stephanie Rose

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August 12, 2024
Plant a Backyard Food Forest for an Abundant Source of Food – Garden Therapy

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Ditch the vegetable garden and redesign your food garden as a forest! Food forests are a traditional but seriously cool practice of growing your own self-reliant mini forests that produce tons of food. This guide covers all the layers of the food forest and how you can start designing your own edible forest garden.

Until recently, biologists saw ancient pockets of food forests that exist within tropical rainforests as accidental. But, increasing evidence shows these forest gardens as a result of deliberate cultivation by Indigenous Peoples.

These forest gardens are filled with a variety of food, layered, interconnected, and self-sustaining. In my home province of British Columbia, evidence shows there were food forests planted more than 150 years ago!

Today, you can still plant these amazing self-reliant ecosystems right in your backyard. This guide covers all the tips to start planning your epic food forest.

Food forests can include all kinds of plants, including edible flowers.

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This food forest is one of the many self-reliant garden projects you’ll find in my book The Regenerative Garden. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to flip the traditional garden up on its head in lieu of more sustainable spaces, be sure to check it out!

What is a Food Forest?

Food forests consist of a host of beneficial plants carefully selected and arranged to mimic a natural forest system. Together, they boost each other up creating a self-sustaining mini-ecosystem designed to give you plenty of food and materials.

There are many similarities between a food forest and a guild. The plants in a food forest make up several guilds all working together to support and feed one another in many different ways.

People often use the words “guilds” and “food forests” interchangeably. However, a food forest’s design specifically produces the highest amount of consumable by-products, such as food, medicine, and craft materials, in a small footprint.

Of course, food forests also build soil and attract pollinators, creating a cohesive ecosystem that is regenerative and long-lasting without the need for human effort to maintain it.

What the ideal food forest would look like.

Food Forest Benefits

A food forest is not just efficient use of space to grow food but it is also a fully self-sustaining ecosystem. Once planted, gardeners can walk away from a food forest for many years only to return and find it flourishing with a large amount of food. Especially when you compare it to a traditional vegetable garden!

Food forests can be grown in many climates, including dry lands, the tropics, temperate climates, and more forested regions. You can customize them exactly to your microclimate to get an abundant harvest over a long period of time.

Food forests are also incredibly low maintenance. There’s no need for extra fertilizer, as the natural mulch from the trees and plants recycles nutrients. Since perennials tend to have deeper root systems, there is little need for watering.

These perennials also protect the soil. Since there’s no need to dig after initially planting, the soil structure and vast soil ecosystem below remain undisturbed and allowed to flourish.

How to Start a Food Forest

Food forests are an ecological community all working together to support one another to grow and thrive. This type of ecosystem thrives with biodiversity, including plants, animals, and insects. The plants in the food forest are characterized by the layers in which they are growing.

The plant choice is completely dependent on your climate, type of soil, and amount of sunlight and water. Some food forests are only native plants while others incorporate non-native and even exotic plants.

Always think big picture when planning your food forest. Try to make the space as open as possible, allowing for not only shade but dappled shade and sunny areas. Your food forest can be as large or as small as you like.

Think beyond what’s immediately visible. A major part of the food forest is the soil itself. Prior to planting, ensure the soil has everything it needs.

You’ll also need to support wildlife as well. In the food forest, wildlife can keep out the bad bugs and assist with pollinating.

Planting food forests in community spaces is a great initiative to aid with food security.

Food Forest Layers

What exactly is in a food forest? There are many layers to growing an edible forest garden to efficiently use up the space and produce as many useful materials as possible. Listing them from sky to soil, here are the components that make up the structure of a food forest.

Overstory Trees

The overstory is made up of the large foundation trees around which the food forest is based. The size of an overstory tree is what sets the overall footprint of the food forest. Majestic, 100-foot-tall trees create a wide footprint for planting, while smaller fruit trees that reach 25-30 feet can be planted in groups.

Keep in mind that the tallest canopy trees can be difficult to harvest properly. Much of the food grown will feed wildlife or turn into compost. When the tree reaches maturity, it will still provide plenty to eat as well.

Many urban spaces aren’t able to choose their own overstory tree. You can work with what you got!

Understory Trees

Understory trees grow shorter and tolerate a little bit of shade beneath the overstory trees. Typically, these are native trees, such as dogwood and redbud, or ones that tolerate shade such as filbert and pawpaw.

These trees can also be planted with succession in mind as they are ones that leaf and fruit earlier to take advantage of the sun before the overstory trees create shade.

Try to plant native understory trees in your food forest.

Shrub and Bushes

The shrub layer consists of perennials that have multiple woody stems that generally grow about 2-12 feet high. These are often berry plants that also provide wildlife habitat and wind protection.

Perennials are key to having easy to care for food forests.

Epiphytes

Epiphytes are not usually included as a layer in traditional food for people. However, they do provide food sources for humans. An epiphyte is a plant that doesn’t grow in soil but instead attaches itself to the surface of another plant and gets its nutrients and water from the air.

Moss and lichen are examples of epiphytes that grow well in shade and provide an important food source for wildlife. They also contribute to the biomass of the soil as they fall and decompose. Fallen lichen such as usnea can be harvested as a medicinal herb.

Moss naturally grows in my local ecosystem.

Vining Plants

Climbing plants such as vines and bines are a way to take advantage of the vertical space of a garden to produce more food products. Some annuals (such as beans) produce lots of food and naturally die back after food production. Other plants (such as hops) are also productive, but they can easily take over if not properly managed.

You can choose perennial or annual vining plants.

Herbaceous Plants

The herbaceous layer below the woody layer is filled with annual, biennial, and perennial plants. They’re either self-seeded or grow back from their roots but, either way, they die back each year.

Herbaceous plants vary in their sun and shade needs so plant the sun-lovers on the sunny side of the food forests and the shade-lovers on the shadier sides. This layer is essential for food production as well as for creating organic mater that mulches and feeds the soil.

Feverfew and lavender are both herbaceous perennial herbs…and beautiful flowers!

Mushrooms

Another layer not typically included in traditional seven-layer food forests is mushrooms. However, both nutritional and medicinal fungi grow well in forest environments. Introducing mushrooms into your food forest is a great way to include another layer of consumables that will greatly benefit the entire ecosystem.

Mushroom logs. Mushrooms like to grow in shady, moist conditions.

Groundcovers

The groundcover layer consists of herbaceous annuals, perennials, and biennials that grow low to the ground (such as strawberries, chickweed, clover, and herbs) but can also include ground vines (such as squash and sweet potatoes).

Root Plants

Root plants allow us to improve soil structure by aerating the soil and also to grow nutritious food crops just below the soil’s surface.

Garlic is a great root plant as it’s planted in the fall and can be harvested in mid-summer.

And that wraps up all the layers of the food forest! Now you can start planning your own using plants that uniquely fit your space. Let me know in the comments below how your edible forest garden turns out.

More Natural Ways to Sustain Your Garden

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Stephanie Rose

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August 9, 2024
Design a Rain Garden to Redirect and Filter Rainwater – Garden Therapy
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With unpredictable weather becoming more and more frequent, having effective water conservation and filtering systems in your garden is more important than ever. If you have downspouts in your garden that direct to the street or a drain, let me introduce you to rain gardens! This garden project allows you to disconnect downspouts from sewers and instead let the rainwater rightfully return to the earth.

While a rain garden sounds fancy, it’s really a low-maintenance system used to filter and release stormwater runoff. This keeps water local to the soil and creeks, just how nature intended it.

I live in a rainy climate where a lot of wonderful work is being done to study, build, and educate the public on rain gardens and why they’re so important. It takes some time for these rain gardens to fill in, but boy are they beautiful when they do!

There are many rain gardens in my area, the Pacific Northwest.

To check out some established rain gardens, I went on a walking tour with Deborah Jones from Cougar Creek Streamkeepers. They’re a wonderful group of volunteers dedicated to helping to restore and maintain the health of Cougar Creek, a salmon stream here in BC.

One of the major things they do is create rain gardens to help reduce stormwater drainage. You can check out the rain gardens I visited on this map (stops 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17). The McCloskey Elementary School especially had a beautiful one. You can see the school’s rain garden in the photos throughout this post, among the other stops.

This post will cover…

By the way, this is one of many projects featured in my latest book, The Regenerative Garden. Besides sustainable water drainage systems and gardens, I also cover plenty more ways you can create a natural and self-sustaining garden. Be sure to check it out if you’re ready to take your garden the extra mile towards sustainability.

What is a Rain Garden?

A rain garden is any type of landscape that takes, absorbs, and filters rainwater runoff. Usually, this runoff is directed from man-made surfaces such as pavement or roofs.

Without human interference, all rainwater would naturally soak into the ground. But the more buildings, streets, and other urban developments we create, the more land we cover. This means less and less ground area where rain can soak into the soil.

Our solution was to create water drainage systems like eavestroughs, storm drains, and ditches. This is known as urban runoff. These drainage systems direct water back into streams and rivers, but they become incredibly polluted. They carry litter, oil, fertilizer, gas, pesticides, and more.

Buried downspouts can direct rainwater directly into the garden.

A rain garden can help retain water where it naturally belongs and filter all that urban runoff. It will remove the pollutants that would have otherwise gone down the drain.

Beyond their functional duty, they also can be beautiful gardens that become a habitat for local wildlife and even provide some much-needed shade during the warm season.

McCloskey Elementary School rain garden

How Does a Rain Garden Work?

Home gutters sometimes direct into sewer systems, which route stormwater through the same treatment system as toilets, showers, and sinks. Not only is this treatment unnecessary, but it can also cause overflows of the sewer system that redirects into the nearest river, lake, or ocean. This leaves local soils and waterways devoid of the rainfall they need to stay healthy.

The basin of a rain garden is filled with plants that love moisture and can act as biofilters to purify the water. The upper swales have drought-tolerant plants that love to grow deep roots and access the available groundwater when they can.

The rain garden design can be as simple as attaching a gravel-filled trough to a downspout and building a garden bed around it to designing more elaborate rain gardens that become a haven for bird and insect species.

Rain gardens are also designed to be incredibly low maintenance.

Creating a Unique Rain Garden Design

Every rain garden will look different but there are some rules you will want to follow to get a functional design!

The garden is built as a swale: a recessed center about 4-8 inches with berms around the perimeter to hold water in. The center planting area should be level to prevent pooling. The garden is generally twice as wide as it is long, with the widest part at the lowest point of the slope.

Locate an area 5 to 15 feet away from buildings. At a minimum, the overflow drain should end 5 feet from structures without basements and 10 feet from structures with a basement height of 5 feet; add 2 additional feet for every foot deeper the basement is. Don’t locate a rain garden over underground utilities or large tree roots.

McCloskey Elementary School rain garden

The rain garden’s location should be slowed away from buildings to direct overflow out through spillways to other gardens rather than running back toward structures; however, the garden itself should have no more than a 5% grade overall (1-foot drop in 20 feet).

In rainy climates, the bottom inside of the garden should be 15% of the square footage of the runoff source. So, a 500-square foot root requires a 75 square foot garden base (500×0.15=75).

These measurements were provided by Seattle Public Utilities and King Country Wastewater Treatment Division’s RainWise Program.

Observe the garden after heavy rainfall to ensure the drainage is working correctly and not pooling.

How to Build a Rain Garden
1. Determine the garden’s location and extend the downspout to the highest point of the garden. Choose a location that can handle plenty of water saturation, away from septic systems, and away from plants, shrubs, or trees that don’t like their roots to stay wet.
2. Use a garden hose or sprinkle flour to outline the garden’s shape.
3. Dig the base 24 inches deep and use the soil to berm up the sides.
4. Fill the base with 12 inches of a rain garden soil mix (one-third compost and two-thirds garden soil). This leaves 12 inches of ponding depth (the space from the top of the base soil to ground level where water can collect during rainy periods).
5. At the lowest point of the garden edge, create an overflow area packed with rocks. This allows the overflow to be released without eroding the garden. The overflow should be directed to a street drain.
6. Plant the rain garden design with water-loving plants. Add optional spillways to other garden beds that the overflow can irrigate.
Native plants will have the best chance of survival in your rain garden.

Rain Garden Plants

Choose the right plants for your garden’s conditions. Suggested plants can be native plants or cultivated garden favourites that perform well in your unique microclimate. The best place to find the right plants for your garden is at your local garden nursery, which will carry both native and cultivated plants.

Plant the garden plants, mulch with 2 inches of compost and water well. Water the plants regularly to establish them in the first few years. Add more compost as mulch annually.

Often plants will move into the right position in the garden, like these drought-tolerant plants below that have replanted themselves to the basin of this area.

Over time, your rain garden will look like a natural, curated space.

FAQ About Rain Gardens

Where is the best place to put a rain garden?

Look for a high to low spot, where gravity can help with drainage. You want an area that can handle lots of water saturation.

Keep your rain garden away from large trees where their roots can take over, right next to buildings, and from septic systems. Also, consider the soil, as clay soil will require a larger rain garden to avoid pooling.

What is the best shape for a rain garden?

The best shape depends on your space, as you want to work with gravity rather than against it. Most rain gardens are designed to come from a downspout and move downward. People also design them alongside a driveway or ditch for a longer, more narrow design shape.

You want to maximize infiltration. Guide the water to meander or pool through the garden so that it filters before draining to an overflow drain.

Also ensure you’ve called your local authority and mapped out any utility lines on the property when designing your shape.

What is the best mulch for a rain garden?

Arborist woodchips are great for improving water absorption, as they prevent the soil from compacting. Regularly adding mulch will conserve the moisture in the ground and improve water retention and soil aeration.

Can I add rock to my rain garden?

Rocks won’t absorb any water, so you want to use them sparingly and as a final touch. Once you’ve made sure the soil is spongy and ready to absorb water, you can add rock for aesthetic purposes or to protect the soil from erosion in areas where there’s lots of water flow. Keep it a thin layer and don’t overdo it!

As you can see, creating a rain garden is fairly simple and can provide lasting benefits for years to come. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!

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Stephanie Rose

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July 3, 2024
Try These 13 Natural Mulches & Ditch the Dyed Bark and Rubber! – Garden Therapy

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Don’t even think about getting that bright red mulch when there are so many better, more inexpensive organic materials you can use instead! Let me explain natural mulch and the different materials you can use to mulch the garden.

Mulch is a word you hear often in the gardening space. We use it a lot, from suppressing weeds to conserving moisture to making the top layer of our garden look good.

What many people think of when they picture mulch is the classic bits of wood shavings and pieces. It’s often a nice natural cedar that smells heavenly or…heaven forbid…dyed red.

But this is really only one kind of mulch. And it’s one of the more expensive ones!

Today, I want to talk to you all about the natural mulches we can use in our garden and why they’re a much better option than the stuff you buy at the landscape supply store.

Natural mulch is one of the many practices you’ll find in my book, The Regenerative Garden. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to flip the traditional garden up on its head in lieu of more sustainable spaces, be sure to check it out!

What is Natural Mulch?

Mulch sits on top of the soil and acts as a protective layer of organic material. While most think of wood for mulch, there are many more natural materials you can use as mulch (I’ll get into that shortly!).

Like I said, many people use unnatural mulches like plastic, shredded tires, or dyed bark. These can leech contaminants into your garden and just aren’t worth it when there are so many other natural materials that you can use as a mulch.

I joke about dyed mulch all the time. I think it’s one of the worst things to add to a garden! I see it as lawful evil, where it’s popular and accepted but really not a good idea for the environment.

Meanwhile, my method of chop and drop mulching is chaotic good. If I see plant material, I scoop it up and put it in the garden.

Some people will have issues with this. I remember the realtor taking one look at my last house and all the plant material in the garden beds and suggesting I top it off with soil instead.

But I always ask, do you like the forest? Because that is what we’re going for. You can have a neat and tidy look that models a living room or a natural space that mimics our forests.

Mulches are incredibly popular with permaculturalists because of their regenerative properties for soil.

Benefits of Natural Mulch

Mulch has SO many benefits, many of which you might not get if you use store-bought stuff instead of what’s already in your garden.

Mulch is a soil insulator that works year-round. It helps to keep the soil temperature more consistent, meaning it can help protect the base of plants, roots, and bulbs in the winter months but also keep things cooler during the hot summer days.

It also helps to conserve moisture, which is very helpful for full sun areas. It reduces your need to add supplemental water all the time by preventing surface evaporation.

If you have a weed problem, you can also apply a layer of mulch to prevent the seeds from getting light and germinating.

Finally, it will decompose slowly and add nutrients back into your soil. I never add any fertilizer to my garden beds, allowing nothing but my layers of mulch and compost to go back in and feed the soil.

A natural forest floor is covered in mulch.

What to Use as Natural Mulch

So, what can you actually use from your garden that will work as a natural mulch? I’ve got plenty of ideas for you, and if you still want the neat and tidy look, some of these can still give you that. Try one of these thirteen natural materials that make wonderful mulches.

Compost

Compost is what I use the most in my garden, and it appears like fresh, dark soil. I like to add about two inches of compost in the spring before the growing season really begins. The spring rain will also help water the microorganisms into the soil below.

Compost is garden gold for your garden.

Leaf Mould

Never, ever bag your leaves in plastic bags and send it to the dump. Instead, use the leaf mould of partially decomposed or chopped leaves as mulch. It breaks down quite quickly and works wonderfully in vegetable gardens.

This is best done in the fall when you can pile your dried leaves, wait a few weeks for them to begin composting, and then chop them up with a shear or a lawn mower to sprinkle over your garden bed.

Only use leaves free from pests and disease.

Wood Chips

Wood chips are very popular for those who want a neat and tidy look. Just PLEASE don’t buy the dyed stuff as it’s not good for your garden and soil.

Wood chips will last for multiple seasons and are often inexpensive and readily available when bought from an arborist or local source. As they slowly break down, they feed beneficial fungi and create a strong mycelium layer.

Rocks

Another popular tidy option is to use decorative rocks such as river stones, gravel, or volcanic rock. Of course, they won’t decompose. They do not add beneficial microbes or bacteria but will prevent water loss.

Keep in mind that it will absorb and hold heat and cold. A layer of cardboard under the rocks can help.

Pine Straw/Conifer Needles

Take a page of out woodland gardens and allow the cones and needles from your evergreens to remain where they fall. You can also spread it to neighbouring gardening beds.

Woodland perennials love this mulch.

Straw

Many rural homesteads will use straw, considering how readily available it is. Just avoid hay, as it can contain weed seeds!

It’s beneficial to apply straw in the fall as an insulator and remove it in the spring, followed by a new layer of compost.

Use straw to create a strong layer of winter protection for annual crops, tender perennials, trees, and shrubs.

Cardboard

People love using cardboard since it’s free, and we all have lots of it. Use cardboard as winter protection for garden beds in rainy areas to prevent nutrients from leaching from the soil. Make sure to remove the cardboard sheets in the spring and compost them.

You can use cardboard at other times of the year; just make sure to break it into small pieces so the soil still gets some airflow.

Carboard acts as a carbon source.

Grass Clippings

Your lawn would love it if you left the grass clippings after moving. They will slowly break down and create a soil-protecting mulch that will feed the grass’s roots. Letting your grass flower can also help to reseed your lawn!

If you’re mowing, you might as well feed the lawn with the grass clippings.

Living Mulch

Groundcovers can provide many of the same benefits of other organic material. Plant low-growing perennial and native plants no higher than 12 inches. Ideally, ensure they are hardy enough to be lightly tread upon so you still have access to the plants in the garden.

Groundcovers look wonderful in gardening beds that aren’t often disrupted.

Chop and Drop

This is another one of my favourite natural mulch methods. Whenever you cut back plant material, you leave it on the soil surface to decompose in place.

The leaves, stems, and flower heads will then feed the roots of their own kind, mimicking how they fertilize the soil in nature. Just avoid plants that have gone to seed, unless you intend for those seeds to grow.

In the fall, top your chop and drop with leaf mould and compost for a strong base to decompose come spring.

Snow

Many won’t consider snow mulch, but it is extremely useful for protecting the soil temperature and plant roots in cold climates. There’s no need to move snow; just allow it to fall and sit on your garden beds on a snowy day.

Snow protects garden beds from dips in temperature.

Aquatic Plants

If you have a water garden environment, you can add your vigorous or even invasive aquatic plants to dry land gardens. Because the conditions are too dry, they will decompose and protect the soil.

Thin overgrown aquatic plants and use them as mulch on dry land.

Seaweed

If you have a seaside garden, seaweed works well as a mulch where the plants can handle salt spray and salt accumulation in the soil. Forage for seaweed sustainably, and only take what you need from the beach rather than in the ocean. Chop it or run it over with a mower before applying it to the garden.

Those are some great natural mulch ideas to try! In the comments below, let me know which of them you use in your garden or are planning to use.

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Stephanie Rose

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June 17, 2024
From Lawn to Urban Meadow: My Alternative Lawn Guide – Garden Therapy
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My wildflower front yard has turned my house into the talk of the town. Everyone loves it! What was once a drab, uneven, and neglected lawn has turned into an urban meadow that is not only stunning but incredibly low maintenance and eco-friendly. Here’s how to transform your property using a wildflower alternative lawn mix!

When I moved into my new home, I knew it would need a ton of tender loving care to get it into a working and beautiful space. But I was up for the challenge!

In the backyard, I’m still deciding where to put my patio and garden beds. For the first little while, I had to find a parking spot for my trailer, which took much of my time.

So, when it came to gardening, I started with the front yard. The space was a mixture of uneven ground that quickly filled with water in my rainy Pacific Northwest climate. The lawn was patchy and very neglected.

It was a big UGH.

I’m happy to say that my front lawn is now one of my biggest sources of joy…and that’s because of wildflowers!

I want to shout from the rooftops that everyone needs to give up the old and demanding process of a front turf lawn and opt for an alternative lawn instead. And today, I’m going to tell you how I turned my front lawn into the heavenly meadow it is today.

The bees LOVE the wildflower lawn. Here is one by the baby blue-eyes flower.

My Front Yard Eco Lawn

My front yard project began in the fall when I planted over 1500 bulbs in my front garden to create a bulb lawn in the spring. I won’t go into detail here, but you can read all about that project in this post!

So, in the spring, while enjoying the first blooms of the season from my bulb lawn, I pondered what kind of alternative lawn mix I would use. Since I loved the flower bulbs so much, I thought, why not keep the flower train chugging along?

Five-spot in the eco lawn.

I ended up choosing the West Coast Seed Alternative Lawn Mix Wildflowers.

Many flowers are still yet to come, but here’s what is in the mix and what has bloomed already.
- Baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii)—LOTS of these.
- California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)—blooming!
- Creeping daisy (Chrysanthemum paludosum)—blooming!
- Dwarf California poppy (Eschscholzia caespitosa)—also booming!
- Five-spot (Nemophila maculate)—there’s a few in there.
- Hard fescue (Festuca trachyphylla)—can’t really see any grasses. They might be filling in the gaps.
- Johnny jump-up (Viola cornuta)—not blooming yet.
- Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina)—no grasses visible to me.
- Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)—lots of this!
- White dutch clover (Trifolium repens)—also lots of this.
- Wild thyme (Thymus pulegioides)—not spotted yet.
- Yellow daisy (Chrysanthemum multicaule)—not blooming yet.
You can really see the sweet alyssum, baby blue-eyes, creeping daisy, and a few five-spot.

Is My Alternative Lawn Treadable?

Since this is my front yard, it won’t be getting a lot of traction. Kiddo is no longer a little, and I don’t need to worry about using it as a play space or somewhere for Ozzie to play ball.

So I’m totally okay with it growing about a foot tall or a bit taller. As of now, it’s only about 6-12 inches tall fully grown in.

If you or your animals step on it, the flowers will flop down where they’ve been and take a while to bounce back up. But they will eventually.

If you want something you can walk on without issues, you’ll want a different mix. That’s exactly what I did for my backyard!

My front yard has a path from the gate to the front door, so everyone can still get by!

My Backyard Eco Lawn

This post will mostly be about my gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, and fabulous front lawn (can you tell I’m obsessed?), but I want to mention what’s going on with my backyard as well.

For the backyard, I used West Coast Seed’s Bee Turf alternative lawn mix. This mixture, which is designed to replace conventional lawns, is a mixture of clover and low-growing wildflowers.

I knew that my backyard would need to be more walkable, and it wasn’t in as bad of shape as my front yard, so this was the ideal option.

The mixture incorporated well into my existing lawn.

Rather than covering the entire lawn, I mixed it in with the existing lawn and used it to cover some patches.

I will say it didn’t grow at all in the shade. Not even a little bit. But in the areas where there’s full sun, it filled in really nicely.

Like I said, it’s low-growing, so it looks a lot more like a conventional lawn but is much more eco-friendly! You don’t have to mow it nearly as often, it requires significantly less water and fertilizer, is resistant to weeds and chafer beetles, and increases habitat and forage for pollinators.

Some buttercup weeds are in the backyard, but I don’t mind.

My Alternative Lawn Planting Methodology

I have something to confess. I didn’t really follow the instructions on how to grow my front yard alternative lawn properly, but you saw that it still turned out amazing!

My method of planting is rooted entirely in chaos gardening. I go in with the mindset that nothing needs to be perfect, and I’m just trying to get things done in those moments when I can garden. So, following the same methodology as me might make some a little uneasy, as many like to go by the book.

The recommendation is that you remove as much of the existing vegetation as possible and loosen up the soil. I didn’t do that.

My lawn was VERY uneven and full of moss, grass, and buttercup. Even though buttercup is an invasive weed, I left it all and instead covered the entire lawn with a turf soil blend made of sand and compost.

Yes, I dealt with a muddy lawn for a while. But the bulbs came up early!

I used a rake to level out the lawn as best I could and then seeded my wildflower alternative lawn on top of it, using the rake again to blend the seeds into the soil.

The grass has now popped up amidst the wildflowers, and the buttercup, too, but I don’t mind, as it doesn’t look out of place with all the wild plants in there.

Raking it in helped to ensure the seeds stayed in place.

The other thing I did outside of the instructions was planted way too early. West Coast Seeds suggests you plant two weeks before your last frost date, but we had a strange winter, to say the least.

We had a very warm spell in mid-winter, and I saw this as an opportunity to get a head start on the lawn. After all, due to the top soil and rain, the lawn was mud at this point!

This worked out really well for me. Yes, I definitely had some losses, as I saw some heaving after we got a big frost (see below!). I’m not sure how the lawn would look if that didn’t happen, but I’m perfectly content with how it looks today.

Sun vs Shade Germination

I mentioned that the backyard didn’t germinate in the shade at all, and it didn’t fare well in the front yard, either.

The sunniest part of the yard had the most and earliest blooms. The plants right by my shady fence have all grown in now, but I supplemented it with some shade turf grass to fill in some of the spaces since some of the flowers weren’t growing without any sunshine.

Patience is key! It will eventually fill in.

But that is just the small patch along the fence. Now, it looks pretty even overall. All the time, people on the street stop to look at the lawn and I get so many compliments on it.

The buttercup weed mixes in nicely with the wildflower mix.

Watering Needs

As I’m writing this, I haven’t watered my lawn once. Yes, NO extra water has been needed.

It’s the number one question I get from people who pass by on the street as they ask me how much water it needs.

One of the reasons I planted it early on was so that I could get the seeds in right before it rained. I live in a very rainy climate, so I didn’t need any supplemental watering while the seeds were young and germinating.

According to West Coast Seeds, the lawn should only need water during long periods of hot and dry weather, so they should be able to handle most of the summer without any additional water. Which is not something the conventional lawn can say!

Ozzie and Magic don’t mind the eco lawn one bit.

Mowing My Eco Lawn

I have yet to mow my wildflower lawn, and the flowers currently range from 6 to 12 inches tall. I may mow it as I go along, but as of right now, I have no plans to mow my lawn.

The wildflower alternative lawn mix is a blend that isn’t intended to be mowed. The plants mature and go to seed, planting themselves and continuing to grow like a meadow.

West Coast Seeds suggests controlling growth with a string trimmer, but if you really want a manicured look, to mow once a month to 2 ½ to 3 inches. Keep in mind, the more you mow, the less blooms you have.

If you want something more manicured, a low-growing alternative lawn mix like the one I have in my backyard would probably be a better option for you, and you still only need to mow once a month.

I’ll say, I definitely overseeded. West Coast Seeds suggests that 50g should cover 430 sq. ft., and I pretty well doubled that. To say my wildflower lawn is luscious is an understatement!

Here, you can see how tall it is. Magic, my cat, certainly doesn’t mind!

And there you have it! That’s how my alternative lawn turned out, and I absolutely couldn’t recommend it enough. I won’t have to mow or water my lawn, and the bees are absolutely loving it.

If you have any questions about growing your own eco lawn, let me know in the comments below, and I’ll answer them as soon as I’m able.

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Stephanie Rose

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June 10, 2024
Roots of Resilience: Overcoming Eco-Anxiety in the Garden – Garden Therapy
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From constant wildfires sweeping the country to dismal reports of the coral reef, it seems like all we hear about the environment is bad news. As a result, many people face eco-anxiety as a direct response. Here’s what we can do about eco-anxiety and how we can make a difference within our own garden.

It wasn’t until I had my own Kiddo that eco-grief hit me hard. While always a concern of mine, the future of the environment became one of my top priorities. I wanted to make sure I contributed to making the world a better place for Kiddo.

I’m raising my own little eco-warrior, teaching him both the reality of what we’re doing to our environment but also all the things we can do to help it.

With how modern media works, it can be easy to fall far into the doom of it all. Eco anxiety is a very real feeling that many people face when it can be hard to see the sunlight amongst all this doom and gloom.

Many people end up avoiding the news altogether to avoid feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the negativity, which is a completely fair response.

But Mother Nature needs our help, and the more people who feel ready to fight on her behalf, the better.

Here’s what you need to know about eco-anxiety and what you can do to combat it as a gardener.

Less curated gardens are often more supportive of local wildlife.

What is Eco-Anxiety?

A relatively new term, eco-anxiety is used to describe the increased anxiety about the growing environmental crisis. It is an emotional response, often resulting in varying levels of distress and overwhelm.

Eco anxiety, or climate anxiety, can be about the immediate fear of facing a climate disaster such as a flood or fire, or it can be about the exposure of climate change info and media and how it will affect the present and future generations.

Most of the media surrounding climate change feeds into this fatalistic thinking. About 1/3 of Canadians think it is too late to curb the effects of climate change.

Youth, indigenous peoples, marginalized communities, first responders, and those who live in higher-risk areas are more likely to experience eco-anxiety. Approximately 40% of Gen Z said that fears about the future make them reluctant to have kids.

The more aware you are of climate change issues and the more connected you are to the land, the more likely you are to experience some kind of climate anxiety.

Raising the next generation to have a connection to nature is key.

The Rise of Climate Optimism

When pretty much all major media surrounding climate change feeds into this doom mentality, it’s no wonder that so many of us feel the symptoms of eco-anxiety.

But it’s best to focus on what we can control. After all, humans started the climate crisis, and we will be the ones to stop it. While it’s important to understand the reality and severity of the situation, we should focus more on our next steps rather than what’s been done or could happen.

Our current reality is that a new set of ethics is needed for our survival as a species. The earth will be just fine long after we are gone.

Truly, the only option is to respect Mother Earth and thank her for allowing us to live here by getting along with our neighbours and the flora and fauna with which we share this beautiful place.

This may sound grandiose and dramatic—perhaps even overwhelming. Climate grief is real, and it can make folks feel hopeless. But if we act ethically and build regenerative systems, we create hope.

Working within your community for support and resources can prevent you from feeling alone in your fight against climate change.

Handling Eco-Anxiety as a Gardener

As a gardener, this is one place I can really make a difference in my immediate community. Through regenerative gardening, I can create an effective, beautiful, resilient, and eco-friendly space.

Our garden spaces can produce more food and flowers, more trees and shelter for wildlife, control climates for homes and outdoor spaces, and spread joy and beauty within our neighbourhoods, all with less input from us.

The time and cost-savings alone should be attractive enough for us to want to make a regenerative garden.

The benefits of this work have a ripple effect. Each time we collect rainwater and use it to irrigate our vegetable garden, we are saving the effort of our communities and the land to purify that water and redeliver it to us.

Every time we compost our garden waste to turn it into rich fertilizer, we save the energy that is being collected by our cities, composted, and sold back to us. Every little step we can take will make a bigger difference than is immediately evident.

Our garden can support local wildlife and inspire others in your neighbourhood to do similar practices.

How to Make Your Garden More Eco-Friendly

Nearly everything we do on the website can contribute to a more eco-friendly garden. I encourage you to use the search bar and look for any particular topic you’re interested in. I will most likely have information on it, and in a regenerative style.

For inspiration, here are just a few of my favourite ways you can make an immediate change in your garden:
- Stop using peat moss. Switch to more sustainable growing mediums such as coconut coir, compost, rice husks, perlite, and more.
- Save water. Utilize water catchment systems for supplemental water.
- Practice succession planting to reduce waste and promote longer blooming seasons for wildlife.
- Reconsider weeds, leaving those in a place where they might be helping to regenerate poor soil.
- Switch to an eco lawn that utilizes less water and requires less maintenance.
- Build a bug hotel to provide a nesting place for insects.
- Leave the leaves and push leaf matter into beds and across your lawn rather than bag it.
- Grow organically, omitting the use of pesticides and herbicides in your garden. Use natural pest control methods instead.
- Plant native plants that can handle your local weather conditions without the need for supplemental watering/maintenance.
- Start a compost bin to prevent kitchen scraps from going to the landfill.
It starts from the ground up!

Like I said, these are just a few ideas to get you started. Explore and use the search bar to find many more suggestions!

More Ways to Support Mother Nature
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Stephanie Rose

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May 8, 2024
7 Ways to Reduce Water Usage While Gardening – Garden Therapy
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Have water, will thrive. We must do our part in limiting our water usage when it comes to our backyard plantings. Try these seven ways to reduce water usage through a diverse effort of water catchment systems and clever planting.

In our current environmental crisis, we’re all trying to do a little bit more. From encouraging biodiversity to helping support local wildlife, these are all small switches that hold the power to create big change.

Reducing your city water usage is another step to practicing sustainable, regenerative gardening.

For over 25 years, I’ve lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, known for its gray skies and relentless rainy days. During this time, I’ve witnessed a drastic change in water preserves, with caches not large enough to fulfill the city’s needs through the summer months.

Coupled with the raging wildfires that plague each summer season, doing our part to limit city water usage is more crucial than ever.

Today, I’m sharing 7 ways to reduce water usage with storage hacks that work for any yard or garden of any size.

Hand watering is more mindful than most irrigation systems.

Principles of Efficient Water Use

Before we get started, I thought it might be useful to review the basics of what we’re trying to achieve. I outline these ideas in my book, The Regenerative Garden, as the foundation for efficient water use.
- Step 1: Capture and store rainwater for garden irrigation.
- Step 2: Recycle this water as many times as possible.
- Step 3: Know your local water budget and stay within it. Never use more than your rainfall.
Even places with known rainfall should collect and store rainfall for future use.

7 Ways to Reduce Your City Water Usage

To reduce your city water usage, you’ll need to diversify your efforts. A combination of catching, storing, recycling, and smart planting can help you reduce your city water usage in a major way.

These are a few strategies to get you started.

1. Get Rid of Thirsty Lawns

Lawns use a truly outrageous amount of water. While they have become the norm in most communities, there are plenty of lawn alternatives that use far less water.

If you don’t need your lawn, replace it with a low-maintenance ground covers like micro clover or a native, drought-tolerant grass species. Many seed companies have an eco-lawn alternative that you can try out.

I’m in the midst of revamping the lawn at my new house with a new alternative lawn mix. Check it out below.

2. Plant Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants

Xeriscape principles, or conserving water through landscaping, go beyond the lawn.

The plants you choose to include in your garden can majorly affect your city water usage.

Choose plants that are native to your area, as they can survive on natural rainfall with little to no supplemental watering. Choosing drought-tolerant plants will also help you through the summer months when rainfall lessens.

Sedum and lavender are both great drought-tolerant plants.

3. Capture and Store Rainwater

One of the basic principles of sustainable water use is capturing and storing rainfall for the drier months.

Rain barrels with overflow pipes directly to your garden are an efficient way to capture rainfall. Barrels can be made from plastic, metal, or wood drums—all food-safe materials.

An average rain barrel can hold 50 gallons of rainwater, enough to water 80 square feet of garden.

You can set up drip irrigation directly from your rain barrel for easy watering with low consumption.

4. Redirect Drain spouts

Have plants that love extra water? You can redirect your drain spouts to feed directly into your garden, giving your plants the extra water they crave without digging into the city’s water supply.

Do note that not all roof runoff is recommended for our gardens, depending on the material of the roof. Roofs made from non-porous metal are ideal, while untreated wood shingle roofs are also acceptable.

Avoid roof runoff from asphalt, rubber, and galvanized zinc roofs.

Solid, non-porous roofs work best for water collection.

5. Build a Rain Garden

Designing a rain garden sounds complicated, but it’s surprisingly low-maintenance and simple in concept. These gardens are designed to filter and release stormwater runoff, keeping water to the soil and creeks.

Rain gardens use moisture-loving plants that act as biofilters to purify the water, along with drought-tolerant plants with deep roots.

These gardens range from simplistic to elaborate, redirecting natural water sources through drain spouts, gravel troughs, and an overflow area packed with rocks.

6. Use an Olla Water Catchment System

Self-watering planters are an efficient way to save on city water usage while also saving you time.

Ollas are one of my favourite self-watering systems; they’ve been used for thousands of years to provide slow irrigation and deep root watering.

This ancient watering practice teaches plants to reach down and find this water source, limiting the need for supplemental watering.

You can even attach your ollas to a rain barrel, drawing water when needed.

You can set up a rainwater catchment or greywater recycling system directly toward the ollas.

7. Build a Wicking Bed

Want to take self-watering to the next level? A wicking bed is essentially a giant self-watering container. It may resemble a classic raised bed, but there’s much more below the surface.

These beds have a water reservoir under the soil, dramatically reducing the need for supplemental watering.

The reservoir is made with an impermeable barrier to hold water, gravel to store the water, and drainage pipes for water flow; it can be filled manually, by rainfall, or through overflow spouts.

Through the hottest summer months, your wicking bed will only need a weekly top-up, with less manual care through the rest of the year.

Use recycled materials to build your wicking bed.

FAQ About Reducing City Water Usage

Have more questions about reducing your city water usage? These are the questions I get the most. If I don’t answer your question here, please leave it for me in the comments below.

How can I reduce my city water usage in a small yard?

It’s easy to have grand plans for water conservation when you have acres of space to work with. But when you’re dealing with a small city yard, you may feel more limited.

The good news is that all of these water-reduction strategies are designed to work in any space, with scale options for any yard.

A single rain barrel with redirected drain spouts is small-space-friendly, and can make a major difference in your water usage.

Planting lawn alternatives and native or drought-tolerant plants is another useful solution, possible in any size garden.

What are the best drought-tolerant plants for my garden?

I recommend choosing plants that are native to your area; they use the least amount of water because they are equipped to survive in your specific region.

With this said, there are plenty of drought-tolerant plants that would make good additions to your garden. Some of my favourites include agave, aster, columbine, delphinium, echinacea, lavender, phlox, sedum, statice, sunflower, yarrow, and zinnias. Find the full list in this post.

More Helpful Tips on Water Usage
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Stephanie Rose

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March 6, 2024