Have you ever come across the terms “regenerative gardening,” “permaculture,” or even “chaos gardening”? These are all over social media lately, but what do they actually mean? And more importantly, how can we use these practices to grow happier, healthier plants while also helping Mother Nature? Today's episode is a deep dive into all of this with my new plant friend, Stephanie Rose, founder of Garden Therapy and author of 12 books, who is so committed to helping you garden for at least five minutes a day to receive the benefits gardening can give us. Let's break it down!

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [04:15] How Stephanie got into regenerative gardening and built Garden Therapy
• [07:15] What is permaculture?
• [09:46] What is the origin of Stephanie’s ‘charity garden’?
• [14:55] Grow your dream garden (big or small!) with Gardener's Supply Company
• [16:39] Support sustainable gardening with high-quality products from Espoma Organic
• [21:18] Why is chaos gardening popular among the new generation?
• [24:32] Are regenerative gardening and permaculture the same?
• [26:36] What is the ‘no-till’ method?
• [29:34] Try Crescent Garden's self-watering planters and watch your plants grow, even when you're gone!
• [32:15] What is hügelkultur?
• [35:00] What is the relationship between lasagna garden and hügelkultur?
• [36:51] What's the difference between a regenerative approach to soil and a basic gardener's approach to soil?
• [38:44] Different water conservation methods for regenerative gardening
• [42:11] How does intensive planting benefit gardeners, despite going against seed packet spacing?
• [48:09] Why do regenerative gardens tend to have fewer pests?
• [51:26] What are the regenerative projects that Stephanie has planned for her new house?
• [58:47] Where can you find Stephanie on social media and her books?

 

 

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The Roots of Regenerative Gardening

Regenerative gardening is all about creating a garden that can sustain and renew itself over time. Just think of it as going beyond just being “sustainable” (which means putting back or planting again what you take out) to improving the land as you garden.

Stephanie explains it like this—a regenerative garden is one “that you can walk away from for 10 years and come back and it will still be thriving because it has the sustainability and the resiliency built right in.”

 

Regenerative vs Traditional Gardening

To be honest, traditional gardening often involves a lot of work—tilling the soil, planting in neat rows, weeding constantly, and even using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It's like we're trying to control nature instead of working with it.

Regenerative gardening, on the other hand, takes its cues from nature. It's about creating an ecosystem in your garden that mimics what you'd find in the wild. This means:

• Building healthy soil naturally
• Conserving water
• Planting intensively and diversely
• Encouraging beneficial insects and animals

The result is a garden that's not only productive but also improves the environment around it.

 

What is Permaculture

This term comes from “permanent agriculture” and it's like the big sister of regenerative gardening. Permaculture is a whole system of design principles based on how nature works.

Stephanie describes it as following the path of nature in order to grow our gardens with less human input and more input from Mother Nature. It's about creating gardens (or even whole farms) that work like natural ecosystems.

Some key permaculture principles include:

• Working with nature, not against it
• Making the least change for the greatest effect
• The problem is the solution (like using “weeds” as helpful plants)
• Every element performs many functions

 

Practical Tips for Regenerative Gardening

Now that we understand the concepts, how do we apply them in our gardens? Here are some ideas:

 

Build Awesome Soil

Instead of buying bags of soil every year, regenerative gardeners focus on improving their existing soil. This might mean composting, sheet mulching/lasagna gardening (layering organic materials w/o tilling), or even creating a hügelkultur bed (a raised bed filled with woody debris).

 

Conserving Water

Water is precious, so let's use it wisely. In fact, water conservation is huge in regenerative gardening. This could mean setting up rain barrels, creating a rain garden, or using clever watering techniques like ollas (buried clay pots that slowly release water).

 

Plant Like Mother Nature

Forget those perfectly spaced rows! Regenerative gardens often use intensive planting, where plants are grouped closely together. This mimics how plants grow in nature and can actually reduce pest problems.

 

Welcome the Wildlife

Regenerative gardens focus on creating habitats for beneficial insects and animals. You can build bee baths or birdhouses. You can also plant flowers to attract pollinators and those that attract the “good” bugs that eat the “bad” bugs. Stephanie reminded me how awesome birds, bats, and even spiders can be for natural pest control.

 

What is Chaos Gardening

“Chaos gardening” is trending on TikTok right now. But it's really just another name for these regenerative practices! It's about rebelling against the rigid structure of traditional gardening and letting nature take the lead a bit more, which the younger generations are embracing.

As Stephanie puts it, “It sounds like chaos is anarchy, and it is.” It's anarchy against the structure that's been causing gardening to sound like a chore rather than a beautiful experience and connection with plants.

 

Wrapping It Up

Regenerative gardening and permaculture, at their core, they're about working with nature to create beautiful, productive, and earth-friendly gardens. We can grow beautiful plants while also helping the environment by mimicking natural ecosystems.

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Northwest Flower and Garden Show
• Books by Stephanie Rose:
  • Garden Alchemy
  • Regenerative Garden
  • Other books
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Gardener's Supply

From containers to raised beds, seeds to plant supports, Gardener's Supply has everything to create your dream garden oasis. They even sell edging and walkways! Gardener's is an employee-owned company run by passionate gardeners for over 40 years, and they are committed to catering to all kinds of gardeners. Whether you've got acres or just a balcony, you're sure to find everything you need for successful indoor and outdoor gardening.

Discover your garden favorites and exclusive innovations at gardeners.com and use code GROWINGJOY for free shipping.

Espoma Organic

If you want a thriving garden, set them up for success with high-quality soil, fertilizer, potting mixes and more! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar-powered plant, zero waste manufacturing, and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Crescent Garden

Say goodbye to balcony watering stress this growing season with Crescent Garden TruDrop self-watering planters! For 25 years, Crescent Garden has been a beacon of blending beauty and function. Their TruDrop planters are sleek, lightweight, easy to plant up, and effortless to maintain, with a smart patented water level indicator for foolproof watering. Plus, they come in various shapes, sizes, and chic colors to match any home aesthetic, all while saving water and fertilizer usage.

For a limited time only, head to growingjoywithmaria.com/crescentgarden and use code GROWJOY15 to curate your dream garden today.

 

 

 

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