Some people have viewed gardening as an act of taking, extracting vegetables, herbs and flowers from the soil to benefit humankind. However, regenerative gardening is shifting this idea toward giving back as much as you receive by healing and improving the ground from which goods come. Whether you’ve been gardening for some time or are just starting, you can apply this technique to leave the soil in better condition than you found it.

What Is Regenerative Gardening?

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic and sustainable approach to growing crops that seeks to enhance soil health by mimicking and supporting the natural ecosystem. It’s a method of growing food that looks to enhance the environment and safeguard essential resources for ecological well-being. Some of the key principles include:

• Decreasing soil disturbance through reduced tillage.
• Boosting biodiversity by reversing monoculture farming practices, planting cover crops and creating buffers with native plants.
• Integrating livestock grazing into crop rotations.
• Building up soil organic matter.
• Covering as much soil as possible year-round to prevent erosion.

Small and large farms are growing increasingly interested in adopting regenerative agriculture. According to McKinsey, no-till and cover cropping techniques could generate $250 billion in revenue for corn and soy products over a 10-year period. Farmers who adopt these strategies can also expect yields that are 10% to 30% higher than those achieved with conventional approaches.

The Ultimate Regenerative Gardening Guide

You don’t have to own a large-scale farm to implement regenerative gardening. Those who enjoy growing fresh crops in their own backyard can apply these same principles for healthy, robust harvests.

Plan Your Regenerative Garden Layout
Planning is key to a successful regenerative garden. The more you address and prevent potential problems early on, the better the results you’ll see.

Begin by observing the space you plan to occupy and notice whether it receives adequate sunlight and if it floods during rainstorms. Consider other obstructions that you’ll need to work around. For example, some crops require six or more hours of direct sunlight, while others need four to six hours or two to four hours. You may also need to consider drainage solutions and improving soil fertility before planting.

This stage enables you to create a blueprint for implementing various regenerative practices, including crop rotation and companion planting. Starting with just three or five plants may be the most manageable approach for those new to gardening.

Prepare Your Garden Bed Without Tilling
No-till gardening is foundational to regenerative planting and aims to minimize soil disturbance. The age-old practice is common in conventional farming but reduces dirt fertility, causes erosion and releases stored carbon into the atmosphere. Over time, these impacts damage the soil’s structure.

Utilize the “lasagna gardening” method instead by laying cardboard over the ground, which helps block sunlight and suppresses weeds. You’ll also want to add nutrient-rich compost to boost soil health. Depending on the weather, it may take some time for materials to break down, but when they do, you can start planting.

Keep Your Soil Covered at All Times
Exposed soil is highly vulnerable to erosion and dryness. Therefore, it’s crucial to keep it covered as much as possible. You have plenty of options, too, — including straw, leaves, wood chips and grass clippings — which can add aesthetic appeal to your garden.

Mulch derived from wood chips offers an excellent protective layer that retains moisture, prevents weeds from sprouting, balances soil temperature and breaks down as a nutrient source. Although your local nursery likely carries bags of wood chips for purchase, you can rent a wood chipper and make your own supply using fallen trees and branches. Just be careful using this heavy machinery, as wood chipper accidents resulted in 16 deaths from 2017 to 2024.

Focus on Diversity
Just like a balanced ecosystem depends on biodiversity, the same is true of a resilient garden. Monoculture growing — where you plant just one type of crop repeatedly — opens the door for disease and pests. You’re much better off increasing plant diversity and using more natural methods to mitigate common problems, promoting higher-quality soil conditions.

Companion planting entails growing various plants close together, delivering improved pollination, pest management and space utilization. The interactions between plant roots also enhance nutrient availability and foster a more robust microbial community, thereby preventing harmful plant diseases. This gives crops a fighting chance for survival and more successful yields. Integrating native flowers and different herbs also adds aesthetic beauty, attracts pollinators and deters harmful insects.

Embark on a Regenerative Gardening Journey

Regenerative gardening is easier than it sounds and produces better results than traditional methods. The benefits include larger harvests and healthier crops right in your backyard. Of course, you’ll need to experiment to see what approach works best for your plot. Regardless, concentrating on enhancing soil health will generate bigger yields for years to come.