Climate Change- The Impact on American Gardeners

Whether or not there is agreement on all points of climate change, observant gardeners have noticed significant differences over the past 20 years when it comes to weather patterns and how they impact local plant and animal behaviors. From past experience, we intuitively know that it’s not ‚”natural” for robins to over-winter in Minnesota or for 49 of 50 states to simultaneously have snow on the ground.

U.S. government climate scientists predict that wild swings in temperature, ground moisture, and precipitation will continue and increase in the years ahead and that storms will be more frequent and violent. Given these changes, what steps can home gardeners take to adapt their gardens and yards to unstable and shifting realities? Here are some suggestions.

Gardening Suggestions for a Changing Environment

Become informed about how the local climate is expected to change. By learning how local conditions will change, the wise gardener can begin now to plant species that will prosper under the new environmental conditions. An excellent source of information on this topic is the U.S. Global Change Research Program (Globalchange.gov).

Breed plant varieties that are better suited to anticipated changes. This might mean saving seeds from plants having difficulty with current conditions and planting those seeds back in the garden. Offspring of environmentally-stressed plants tend to be more resistant to the environmental conditions that stressed their parent plant, so subsequent generations tend to be healthier, more nutritious, and more productive.

Create diverse microclimate ‚”oases” to preserve and protect native wild plants and animals. Plant an area that shelters a diverse array of native plants – the greater the diversity, the greater the chances of a healthy plant ecosystem. Preserving the diversity of native plants has the added benefit of creating food and shelter habitats for diverse birds, insects, and animals as well as providing a safe haven for migrating wildlife.

Make ongoing garden adjustments. Stressed plants and trees are often afflicted by diseases and insect pests. As they succumb, use the opportunity to replace them with hardier varieties. Take advantage of a longer growing season by planting earlier in the spring and a second crop in the fall. Also consider making modifications to the garden‚Äîif raised beds are frequently inundated by heavy rains, put gravel at the bottom so roots don’t drown.

And if the garden is suffering from excessively warm and dry weather, grow cooling trees nearby and dig swales to collect rainwater and keep the ground moist. Stabilize topsoil with trees and hedges, and coastal areas with reeds and root crops like cattails.

Experiment with new food crops. If favorite foods aren’t growing well or might not in the future, try planting foods from other hardiness zones. The ground nut (Apios americana), for example, is a prolific vine native to the east and midwest. Its roots taste like sweet potatoes, but without the work of annual planting. Or for those who live in the south or west, drought-resistant varieties of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) might be a possibility. Nearly every part of this very nutritious shrub can be eaten and it has many medicinal uses as well.

Climate Change Gardening Cautions

Planting for the hardiness zone. Take the USDA plant hardiness zones with a grain of salt—they are based on information from 1990 and significant climate shifts have occurred since then. The 2006 hardiness zone map put out by the National Arbor Day Foundation (Arborday.org) is the most up-to-date map around. But better yet, gardeners need to document local weather daily and monitor changes in their own back yard microclimates.

Be cautious about introducing new species. Keep in mind that some unfamiliar species may have the potential to become invasive and spread to areas where they aren’t wanted. Research plants carefully and monitor them over time to see how they’re interacting with existing species.

Making mistakes. Climate change is unpredictable, and it is impossible to know in advance which planting decisions will be the right ones. As plants fail, don’t be afraid to shift tactics and try something else that might work better.

Changing Gardens, Changing Environment

Today’s gardeners face challenging times as they try to second-guess what Mother Nature will do next. The best advice in this situation is to personalize regional climate change information by observing the reactions of local plants and animals in response to weather patterns, then making educated decisions about which species will grow best.