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One of the simplest ways to build fertile, carbon-rich soil is to keep it covered throughout the year. Bare soil loses nutrients, carbon, and moisture, while covered soil retains fertility, supports microbes, and prevents erosion. Over decades of gardening, I’ve found that year-round coverage is a cornerstone of regenerative practices Why Cover Soil Year-Round Methods…
Soil carbon is the foundation of a thriving regenerative garden. Higher carbon levels improve fertility, water retention, and microbial activity, while also helping fight climate change. By using compost, applying mulch, and planting deep-rooted crops, gardeners can naturally build soil carbon over time. Soil carbon is the carbon stored in the soil as organic matter—things…
Healthy vegetable gardens aren’t built on fertilizer alone—they’re built on life. Beneath the soil surface is a complex, living community of microbes that feed plants, protect roots, and turn organic matter into usable nutrients. After decades of working garden soil in raised beds, mounded beds, and containers, I’ve found that understanding these invisible helpers changes…
Winter is the perfect time to focus on soil health. After more than 30 years of year-round gardening in Sonoma Valley, I’ve learned that healthy soil is the foundation for productive crops, strong roots, and resilient plants. Even while many beds are resting, you can actively improve fertility, structure, and biology using regenerative practices. Visit…
A garden planting bed is home to your vegetables, herbs, and flowers. You want a planting bed in which plants will thrive and you want a planting bed that is easy to make and easy to maintain. Making a new garden planting bed should be a one-time investment in sweat equity. Once a new bed…
Established planting beds–perennial beds, mixed beds of annuals and perennials, and shrub borders–must be readied for each new growing season. This means amending the soil with aged compost, aged manure, fertilizers, and other soil amendments. The health of plants in a planting bed will directly equate to the health of the soil. Well-established planting beds…
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