Sometimes it helps to take a pledge

Here is a link to the esteemed Union of Concerned Scientists who articulate many sound principles that I suggest all gardeners pursue.  Here is a copy of the pledge statements.  I'm also enclosing some recent photos from my garden - it is fun to compare them to the small seedlings from April. 

I PLEDGE TO:

Build healthy soil that keeps heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and reduces the need for herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers, which generate global warming pollutants.

Frog Pond Gardens - Black Simpson Lettuce grown from seed

•  Have garden soil professionally tested to know your fertilizer needs and avoid over-applying.
•  In vegetable gardens, rotate crop locations from year to year to help keep pests and diseases at bay, reducing the need for energy-intensive chemicals.
•  Plant cover crops when other plants aren’t growing to protect and improve soil, increase carbon storage in soil, and reduce the need for fossil fuel-based fertilizers.

Choose low-emission garden tools and products.

•  Weed, prune, and rake leaves by hand and use an electric or push lawn mower.
•  Replace synthetic fertilizers and pesticides with compost and natural pest-control methods.Avoid peat, using compost or peat-free potting and seed-starting mixes instead. 

Frog Pond Gardens - Red Russian Kale grown from seed

Store carbon and save energy with trees and shrubs.

•  Plant trees and shrubs with long life expectancy that can store carbon for many years.
•  Position new trees where they will shade your home in summer or provide protection from winter winds.

 Frog Pond Gardens - Arugula grown from seed

Recycle yard and food waste.

Frog Pond Gardens - Tat Soi Greens grown from seed

•  Reduce heat-trapping methane emissions from landfills by making compost at home or as part of a city-wide program.
•  Use compost in the garden to replace energy-intensive fertilizers and store carbon in the soil.

Make my lawn “greener.”

•  If you have a lawn, leave grass clippings to fertilize the soil, reducing the need for added fertilizer and increasing carbon storage.
•  Minimize watering, which has been linked to increased emissions of heat-trapping nitrous oxide from lawns.

Point the way to climate-friendly farms.

•  Tell Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support farmers who adopt climate-friendly agricultural practices such as cover cropping and crop rotation and who reduce their use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. 
•  Stay tuned for alerts from UCS on opportunities to take action!