Climate Change and your Garden

Have you noticed your plant blooming early…or shriveling due to the high heat? If so, your plant has likely been affected by climate change. 
As the world’s climate fluctuates, plants try to adapt to the new normal. This could mean that plants in warmer areas flower, or perhaps fall victim to frosts. Or some trees, that generally require a certain amount of chill hours to fruit, may postpone flowering. While you may not be able to stop climate change on your own, you can reduce your own carbon footprint and also help your plants survive through whatever new weather pattern evolves. Here are some tips:
1. Reduce water consumption in your garden. This is very important during dry, hot weather. Some keywords and actions to remember here are: mulch, to hold in the moisture, use rain barrels to capture water, and install dripirrigation to direct the water exactly where you need it.
2. Increase your composting efforts! You can toss kitchen and garden detritus into the compost heap. Simply composing this waste reduces your carbon pollution, especially potent greenhouse gas methane. In addition, compost can be used in place of chemical fertilizers to enrich your soil.
3. Plant trees to help combat climate change. Trees absorb carbon pollution (CO2) from the atmosphere- which benefits everyone. Shade trees help keep us cool during those summers without air conditioning.
4. Reduce the threat of invasive species expanding, and incorporate diverse native species instead. Native plants help maintain important pollinator connections and ensure food sources for wildlife; non-native plants can out-compete these important native species for habitat and food. 

For more information, visit these reference links: 

• https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/how-climate-change-affects-gardens.htm
• https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats/Climate-Change/Greenhouse-Gases/Gardening-for-Climate-Change