My most impactful story of carbon gardening was simply understanding how a few inputs and time can have an oversized impact on an entire ecosystem. My story starts in March of 2020, which in hindsight was an auspicious time to embark on a journey that would not only change the ecology of our homestead, but how I will forever look at soil health and sequestering carbon.
Working with local arborists, we received several hundred yards of wood chips, and logs that we used to mulch several inches deep across our entire landscape. We also used a technique of burying logs, branches, and hay to create hügelkultur beds.
A couple years into this journey it has been inspiring to see the changes to our soil health and water retention, as well as the symbiotic relationships that we have observed – some intentional, like feeding excess crops and weeds that have benefited from the soil health to our ducks and chickens, to finding dozens of gulf fritillary caterpillars on a passion vine that was thriving under our hop dome.
Knowing this journey has just begun I am inspired to continue, and replicate these practices for years to come. – Andrew Moratto
