Three Sustainable Gardening Gurus to Follow
What does it mean to garden "sustainably?" We're so glad you asked...
Dear Friends,
Our theme this month is sustainable gardening, a phrase that has prompted some of our readers to ask what we mean… A garden that’s all organic? Pesticide-free? Pollinator-friendly?
While such labels can be helpful in determining a garden’s sustainability, it’s more about the big picture: creating and maintaining a garden ecosystem that supports biodiversity, conserves water and other natural resources, builds healthy soil, and promotes long-term ecological balance. That’s a lot to (ahem) dig into in just a month’s worth of posts! So, in addition to our own features on this topic, here are three Substacks where you can continue to learn about sustainable gardening year-round:
The Climate Change Garden offers detailed, expert advice on “how to create a biodiverse, productive garden that is resilient to the challenges that lie ahead,” including the challenge of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather.
The Weekly Dirt, written by master gardener and award-winning journalist Jessica Damiano, covers basic principles, addresses real-world garden problems, and offers “horticultural hand-holding for green and black thumbs.”
, whose founder tired of the “sameness” of traditional garden media, aims to “reflect the richness of diversity, insight, passion and wisdom of everyone who gardens, or has an interest in plants, or is nurturing their connection with the natural world.”
There are many other excellent (and sustainable) gardening ‘Stacks out there, of course—feel free to tag your favorites in the comments so we can check them out, too.
Happy cultivating!
The Craftsmanship Team
ICYMI…
“The Secrets of Mastery” is a series of brief, intimate conversations with artisans, innovators, and other pioneers about what it takes to master their craft, and why handmade matters. It’s available only for paid subscribers here on Substack.
In our latest episode, take a virtual tour of Bancroft Garden & Nursery in Walnut Creek, California, and learn how a master gardener designs for climate resilience.
Listen to: “Designing a Climate-Resilient Garden,” with Cricket Riley
If you haven’t done so already, you can upgrade your subscription now for just $6/month, or $60/year, and get access to all of our premium content, including the entire Secrets of Mastery series. Thank you for supporting independent journalism!
Our latest free feature…
“Few pursuits are more obliquely named than “dissectology.” The term calls to mind luckless amphibians, etherized in high school laboratory trays. But dissectology is a passion shared by such gentle luminaries as Queen Elizabeth II, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Patrick Stewart—none of whom would willingly harm a frog.
Dissectologists do not require pins, a scalpel, or forceps. What they need is a sharp eye, and the ability to see large patterns in small bits—for a dissectologist is a person who loves solving jigsaw puzzles. And this -ology would include, presumably, those who craft and create them…”
Read: “The Puzzling Craft of Dissectology,” by .
Craftsmanship Magazine is a not-for-profit, multimedia publication that focuses on master artisans and innovators whose work informs our quest: to create a world built to last.