What Does Climate Change Mean for Your Garden

Climate change refers to long-term changes in our typical weather patterns. This change affects gardening in different aspects, including which plants thrive in specific locations, which plants can survive several years, whether trees produce fruit, and which pests pose the most threat.

Millions of Americans consider gardening to be a passion rather than a hobby. Over the past years, almost every home gardener has adapted their gardening plants to fight fluctuating climate conditions. Unfortunately, gardening across the country is in danger due to climate change. Fortunately, there are things you can do, even as a gardener. The fact that gardeners can help find solutions for climate change is encouraging. Gardeners can embrace the best practices to combat the effects and succeed in the face of climate change.

In this article, we'll see how climate change has changed our gardens and what gardening practices we should adopt to protect our green space and planet.

Impacts of Climate Change on Garden

Here is how changing climate conditions could impact your garden.

Rising Temperatures

The hottest summers on record occurred between 2014 and 2023, according to 174 years of climate data. After a few months of sweltering, continuous heat can severely affect plant health, particularly cool season crops such as kale, broccoli, radishes, and carrots. Winters are also getting warmer and wetter, which affects plants, while summers are getting drier and hotter as temperatures rise. Milder temperatures impact birds, insects, and plants.

Although gardeners have always had to deal with excessive heat, rising temperatures also reduce the growing window- the time during which crops that are sensitive to heat may develop comfortably. Furthermore, even crops that thrive in hot weather, like tomatoes, face difficulties when temperatures rise too high. Overheating can limit nutrient uptake and deplete the soil's nutrients. In addition, plants lose moisture faster and don't get enough rest in the dormant season.

Unpredictable Growing Seasons

As the temperatures rise significantly, many gardeners have been starting seeds or transplanting their annual plants in the early spring because the last frost seems to be coming earlier every year. The first frosts in many regions are coming later, which is allowing some gardeners to harvest their warm-weather crops, like tomatoes, later in the growing season. Gardeners often use estimated first and last frost dates to ensure they plant the right plants at the right time based on their zone.

Many gardeners may be able to grow plants that were previously unsuitable for their prior growing zone because of the longer growing season and milder temperatures. On the other hand, native crops that were once suitable for a particular zone might no longer be viable. Moreover, fruit trees and plants with flowers and foliage earlier in the season are also more vulnerable to unexpected frost or unfavorable weather conditions.

Increased Threat of Pests and Diseases

Many climate change impacts, such as warmer temperatures, heavy rains, drought, and gardeners planting varieties new to their locations, contribute to increased threats of plant disease. Pests that are often killed by cold weather can survive at higher rates. Life cycles of insects and animals also alter with fluctuating weather patterns.

Wetness and warmth produce the ideal breeding ground for fungal diseases. One of these diseases, early blight, highly affects tomato and potato plants. If left untreated, the blight can spread to the entire plant, eventually killing it.

Some diseases, like powdery mildew, prefer hot, dry climates, which are also becoming more prevalent because of climate change. Most gardeners are already familiar with diseases like blight and powdery mildew, but they are becoming more common, particularly in northern areas where temperatures are rising faster than in previous years.

Struggle with Inconsistent Water Patterns

Drought is another issue that poses challenges for home gardeners. Gardeners use alternate irrigation methods to make sure their plants are properly hydrated and able to flourish when natural rainfall is reduced.

Many gardeners are planting drought-resistant crops and seeds to protect their gardens as drought is becoming more common nationwide. Droughts in California will probably be deeper and longer. Even if the average rainfall stays the same, this will happen. Extended dry spells also make plants more flammable and can fuel wildfires.

However, gardeners have to deal with more than just drought. In recent years, the climate breakdown led to violent storms and heavy rainfall. Like farms, a home garden could severely suffer from heavy rain due to flooding or oversaturation of the soil, increasing the threat of pests and diseases.

Best Practices to Reduce the Effects of Climate Change on Your Garden

Here are some ideas for making a difference in our gardens and across the country.

Plant Diverse Range of Plants

Growing different varieties of plants in your garden is a great way to build resilience. Some plants won't be damaged by severe weather conditions like drought or flooding, while some will. When weather patterns change, plant a wide range of pollinator-friendly plants with varying blooming seasons because certain insects that rely on specific flowers may suffer. Remove invasive plants from your garden and plant various native plants to reduce the threat of invasive species expansion.

Compost Your Garden and Kitchen Waste

Compost as much kitchen and garden waste as you can. By composting, you can significantly reduce your contribution to carbon pollution. Additionally, it provides your garden with abundant nutrients, lessening the need for chemical fertilizers. Adding homemade compost to your soil enhances its structure. If you dispose of it as regular household trash, it can go to landfills and release strong greenhouse gases.

Reduce Water Consumption

Next, be water-wise. There are several ways to reduce excessive water usage in your garden, which is imperative during heat waves and droughts. These strategies include installing a drip irrigation system, mulching, setting up rain barrels, and optimizing your watering schedule. In addition to retaining soil moisture, methods like mulching also reduce the need for artificial fertilizers and provide nutrients to the soil.

Reduce, Reduce, Recycle

Adopt the Rs. Reuse: using household and seasonal items year after year. Reduce: Reduce the use of valuable resources in your garden. Recycle: recycling garden waste, glass, and metals.

Plant Lots of Trees

Planting trees is a great way to fight against climate change. Trees absorb and store a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, which benefits everyone. They also reduce the risk of flooding by slowing runoff. Shade trees in your yard help your home cool down in the summer.

Go Organic

Avoid using chemicals in your garden. Use carbon-friendly things, like organic fertilizers and organic seeds. Put integrated pest management (IPM) into practice. Implement a combination of biosecurity and biological controls to reduce the spread of pests and diseases. Create green roofs and walls as it can save energy all year long due to the cooling effect in hot summer and the warm effect in winter. Use energy-efficient products and reduce the use of petrol-powered tools.

The Bottom Line

Gardeners protect our environment and can help fight against climate breakdown. With the rise in the apparent effects of climate change, the positive impact of gardening is becoming highly significant. Wherever you live, you must start adjusting to changes in the garden. Although you cannot stop climate change alone, you can reduce your carbon footprint and help your plants adapt to the new weather patterns. No matter how small or large your garden is, adopting these small practices can significantly contribute to climate change solutions.