Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Over 40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners
Learn about adaptive approaches necessary as response to climate change for home vegetable gardening. These include general steps for reducing the garden’s carbon footprint, such as minimizing the use of power equipment and purchased fertilizers, building soil health, and conserving water.]
Climate-Conscious Gardening To quote David W. Wolfe, Professor of Plant & Soil Ecology at Cornell University, “We are in the unfortunate situation of being the first generation of gardeners, ever, …
Recent studies are documenting dramatic declines in the number and diversity of insects around the world. Entomologists, ecologists, and other scientists are expressing shock at the speed and scope of these losses, and they are pointing to these steep declines as a sign of broader ecosystem collapse.
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia manage the Organic Vegetable Garden at Potomac Overlook Park in Arlington. Each year, this demonstration garden produces hundreds of pounds of produce which it donates to the Arlington Food Assistance Center. These Notes from the Field, compiled by Judy Johnson and Judy Salveson, highlight some of the challenges the garden faced in 2018 due to record-breaking weather.
What can we as gardeners do to adapt to climate change? While predictions about climate change and its impacts appear nothing short of apocalyptic, adapting to the changes to come will require a return to gardening fundamentals.
In 2018, local gardeners contacted the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia Help Desk, Plant Clinics and Demonstration Gardens with hundreds of weather-related plant questions. Are these signs of climate change? Probably.
