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Did you know you can help slow down climate change in your own yard and garden?

We’ve partnered with the Russian River Watershed Association to teach you how to do just that! Check out these eight brief videos to get your carbon gardening journey started.

Be sure to scroll down for opportunities to receive free organic compost – all for doing your part to care for our planet, our watershed and our communities!

An Introduction to Carbon Gardening

Carbon Cycle 101

Carbon Cycle 101 Resources

More detail on the carbon cycle
The Regional Climate Protection Agency’s (RCPA) sequestration plans

What is a Carbon Garden?

What is a Carbon Garden? Resources

Carbon Gardening webinar recordings
- Healthy Soils and the Climate
- Local Models for Replication

How to Carbon Garden

How to Carbon Garden Resources

Russian River Friendly Landscaping Practices offer ways to boost the positive impact your carbon garden has on the Russian River Watershed
For those who want to go really deep, here is a landscape carbon calculator

Dig a little deeper…

Nurture Your Soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy ecosystem, and so important for sequestering carbon! Special thanks to Xinci Tan of Zero Waste Sonoma for sharing these tips for nurturing soil.

Nuture Your Soil Resources

Easy ways to test your soil at home
How to sheet mulch one-pager; here’s a webinar recording that goes into more detail on that topic
Zero Waste Sonoma’s guide to composting at home
Check out this guide on building soil health at home from our friends at StopWaste down in Alameda
Here’s a webinar recording on soil health basics
Your local Resource Conservation District can offer assistance on improving your soil health, plus much more!
- Gold Ridge RCD
- Mendocino RCD
- Sonoma RCD
- Elsewhere? Find yours here

Grab ‘N Grow Soil Products in Sebastopol sells high quality organic composts, mulches and more

Cold Creek Compost in Ukiah does the same!

What to Plant in Your Carbon Garden

Some plants draw down and store far more carbon than others. By following these tips, you can set your garden up to sequester more carbon, store more water, and provide more habitat for wildlife!

What to Plant Resources

Native plant information from the Milo Baker Chapter of the California Native Plants Society (Sonoma County)
Native plant information from the Sanhedrin Chapter of the California Native Plants Society (Mendocino)
A webinar recording on Garden Design
Receive a free consultation with a Master Gardener through the Garden Sense program
Use this amazing tool from Audubon Society to see which plants best support birds in your area
Another tool, this time with a focus on caterpillars, butterflies and moths
Free water-wise, fire safer landscape templates from Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership
Learn which plants to avoid through the California Invasive Plants Council
A few nurseries that offer many native and water-wise plants:
- Cal Flora Nursery in Fulton/Santa Rosa
- Harmony Nursery and Farm Supply near Sebastopol (and in Petaluma)
- Nursery at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden
- Whispering Winds in Ukiah
- Spare Time Supply and Nursery in Willets

Water Properly

In these times of drought, watering properly is more important than ever. Special thanks to Lauren Lum of Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership for helping us to not only sequester carbon and conserve water, but also to regenerate groundwater and our watersheds.

Water Properly Resources

A quick resource on drip irrigation
- a webinar recording with more detail on drip irrigation
- a webinar recording covering how to program a drip irrigation timer
- feeling overwhelmed? Hire a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper to help you achieve your water-wise carbon garden dreams!
Figure out how much water your plants need with the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species database (aka WUCOLS!)
A revolutionary guide to rehydrating landscapes: Slow it, Spread it, Sink it, Store it!
An overview of harvesting rainwater
- a quick guide to harvesting rainwater in tanks and barrels
- a webinar recording about rain barrels with Blue Barrel Systems founder Jesse Savou
- get money back for rainwater harvesting through this county rebate program
- a quick guide to rain gardens
- a recording of a hybrid presentation on rain gardens
Learn to reuse laundry water in your garden with the Graywater Master Handout
- watch this webinar recording on laundry graywater systems with expert Laura Allen

Ditch the Synthetics; Go Natural

Help protect your own health along with that of your community and local ecosystems. Shout out to Nichole Warwick of Safe Ag Safe Schools and Daily Acts for helping make Sonoma County a safer, healthier place for all.

Ditch the Synthetics Resources

Check out Our Water Our World for information on safe alternatives to pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
Integrated Pest Management fact sheets
Some tips on composting at home
A guide to vermicompost, aka worm farming
A webinar on protecting pollinators from Laguna de Santa Rosa foundation
Tips for encouraging wildlife to share your landscape
A guide to planting hedgerows, which can help you sequester carbon and ditch the synthetics in multiple ways!
Sonoma Safe Ag, Safe Schools (SASS) is doing lots of inspiring work to reign in the use of harmful synthetics
Native Songbird Care & Conservation has lots of advice on ways to grow your carbon garden that protect and support birds
A resource on using cover crops

Close the Loops

A large portion of carbon emissions comes from the creation and transportation of materials and consumer products. Shaping your garden into a closed-loop system benefits a lot more than the climate – including your bank account!

Close the Loops Resources

How to start plants from seeds at home
A webinar recording on composting at home
Need tools to get the job done? Sonoma County residents can borrow tools for free from the Santa Rosa Tool Lending Library
Find your local Buy Nothing group to share and receive free items with your community
Learn how to properly and responsibly maintain your carbon garden with this handy guide
Grazing animals, when properly managed, can be an incredible alternative to power tools, pesticides and more
Find restaurants that support carbon farming (think carbon gardens, but bigger) through Zero Foodprint
Learn about new legislation to close loops on food waste across the whole state of California
Find out how to properly recycle or dispose of various materials, from batteries to insulation to car seats
Buying a lot of compost? See if you’re eligible for Zero Waste Sonoma’s compost rebate
Keep an eye on this calendar of free compost giveaways in Sonoma County

Share Your Story, Get Free Compost!

Click on an image to read the Carbon Gardening Stories that have already been shared by our community:

We want to hear about your carbon gardening experiences, and to share them with our community. We (and the planet) need these practices to ripple out to as many people as possible! Did you sheet mulch your lawn? Did you decide to stop using synthetic fertilizers, or plant your first native garden? Maybe you just started to think about gardening in a different light. Even if you took up these carbon gardening practices years ago, we want to hear about it!

Everyone who shares their story with us will receive a voucher for a free yard of organic compost for pick up in Sonoma County.

Share Your Story