Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach that aims to improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and create a more sustainable food system.
Minimal soil disturbance
- Avoid disturbing soil networks of fungi and microbes
- Use “perma-beds” with light tilling of only top 2-4 inches
- Keeps soil structure intact for better fertility
By disturbing the soil less, you’re helping those underground helpers (like fungi and bacteria) thrive. They’ll repay you by making your soil more fertile naturally, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
Keep Your Soil Covered
- Protects soil from rain, wind, and runoff
- Use cover crops in winter
- Plant new crops right after harvesting
To prevent soil, always try to have something growing on your land. In winter, when you’re not growing crops, plant “cover crops” like rye grass or clover. During growing seasons, as soon as you harvest one crop, plant another or switch to a cover crop. This keeps your soil protected year-round.
Use cover crops
In the fall season, plant annual rye grass. It grows deep roots that hold your soil together like glue.
Mix in legumes like peas. They’re special because they can grab nitrogen from the air and store it in little nodules on their roots.
In spring, you can let cattle graze on these cover crops. The cows get a meal, and their manure helps recycle nutrients back into the soil.
Maintain living roots in soil
Roots aren’t just for holding plants in place. Living roots constantly feed sugars and other goodies to bacteria and fungi in the soil. These microbes then feed other small creatures, creating a whole food web underground.
A thriving soil ecosystem means healthier plants and less need for artificial fertilizers.
Grow diverse crops
- Avoid monoculture (single crop farming)
- Rotate different crops through the garden
- Add hedgerows with fruit trees and shrubs
- Attracts pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds
Mimic nature
You see a mix of different plants working in a forest or prairie.
- Natural systems don’t use single crops
- Diverse planting reduces need for fertilizers and pesticides
- Creates a more balanced ecosystem
So regenerative agriculture isn’t about following a strict set of rules. It’s about understanding how nature works and using that knowledge to create a healthier, more sustainable farm. By adopting these principles, you can build better soil.
