Climate change in the garden: How can kitchen gardens and natural gardens be designed for the future?

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Summer 2023 was extreme. Extremely hot, extremely dry, extremely wet, and then again extremely hot. In fact, the weather this year set more negative records than ever before, leading to devastating wildfires, floods, and hurricanes worldwide. Although the Rhine-Neckar region was fortunately spared from catastrophic weather events, the extreme conditions caused frustration and concern among fruit and vegetable farmers about the future.

Such is the case with Andreas Niemöller, who, as a vegetable farmer and work educator, runs the Ecological Teaching Garden of the IB. "I have never experienced anything like this since I can remember," Andreas summarizes the climatic changes of the last five years. "In the past, we were happy if the sun shone for two weeks in a row. Today, we have to think about how to protect the vegetables from the heat."

In August 2023, we visited Andreas to talk with him about cultivated and natural gardens in the age of climate change. In the interview, he explains which adjustments can be made to strengthen the resilience of gardens. "You must not resign," he tells us. By carefully selecting plants, designing the garden, and using specific technologies, one can strengthen their garden and prepare it for the future.

Climate change in your own garden

The effects of climate change cannot be overlooked in the ecological educational garden in Mannheim. In the last five years in particular, Andreas has noticed drastic changes that he has never experienced before. “Because of the long periods of drought, we have thick cracks in the ground that I could stick my hand into,” he says, describing the consequences of the dry summers. “And that's despite the fact that our clay soil can normally store a lot of water and dries out very slowly.” It is already difficult for Andreas to water his pastures sufficiently, so they shed their leaves earlier year after year.

When it does rain in the summer months, it is usually a huge amount of rainfall that hits the ground. If such extreme rainfall follows a period of drought, it simply runs down over the hardened soil into the groundwater instead of settling in the upper soil layers. Nutrients are washed out and the risk of flooding increases as too little water is stored in the soil. A lose-lose situation, you could almost say.

Climatic changes are also noticeable in winter, says Andreas: “In recent years, we still had to mow the lawn in November - that's also new,” he laughs. As it doesn't look like climate change will ease in the next few years, Andreas therefore advises people to rethink and redesign their gardens: “It's definitely getting harder to protect our gardens.”

Plant selection in times of climate change

The first adjustment that can be made is the choice of plants. Andreas generally advises: “The more diversity your garden has, the more resilient it is.” He does not rely exclusively on native plant species, but also grows exotic plants such as calabashes, artichokes and kiwano, which tolerate heat and drought better. “But that doesn't mean we'll soon have olive groves here,” he adds. Anyone who thinks that you can simply switch to Mediterranean crops in Germany is wrong. “Cold snaps in winter will occur more frequently in the future and kill such exotic plants.”

“In fact, we will have to accept the fact that it will not be possible to grow only native plants in the garden of the future.” Andreas therefore advocates “less xenophobia” in the garden and also giving non-native plants a chance.

In general, he emphasizes that preference should be given to more robust plants that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Herbs are a good choice, he says, as they generally cope better with the changed conditions and can even benefit from the more intense sunlight. Water-loving plants such as melons, tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes could find it increasingly difficult in the future. But by choosing plant varieties wisely and using clever irrigation systems, periods of drought can be (at least partially) mitigated.

Resilience through garden design and technology

To make kitchen gardens and natural gardens more resilient to the challenges of climate change, design changes are needed in addition to plant selection. Andreas recommends creating microclimate zones in the garden that include shade, sun, sand and cool areas to promote diversity in the garden: “Because diverse ecosystems are more resilient.” Loam construction projects could, for example, store cold in summer and heat in winter and gradually release it into the environment.

In his production zone, Andreas relies on methods such as the no-dig system and bio-intensive vegetable cultivation to achieve a high yield on a small area and protect the soil. Covering the soil - even in winter - is another important aspect of protecting and building up the soil. He also emphasizes the importance of hardy green manure plants, such as perennial rye, which are sown in autumn and can germinate in mild weather. “Our first harvest of the year is the mulch crop, which we then use in May to build up the soil in our production zone,” he explains. Furthermore, technologies such as drip irrigation or the use of photovoltaic systems to operate wells are also viable investments for the future.

Andreas Niemöller: “We must not give up”

The challenges of climate change are already being felt in horticulture today. To ensure that gardens can cope with drought, dryness and extreme rainfall in the future, measures must be taken to make kitchen gardens and natural gardens more resilient. Clever selection of plants, clever redesign of gardens and the use of certain technologies could make gardens more resilient. “We mustn't paint everything black,” explains Andreas. “But we need to rethink a lot of things in horticulture and implement them as soon as possible.”

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