About

Soma is the root of the word “somatic” which refers to the body. The name “Soma Gardens” reminds me to connect with my body—a part of me I’ve neglected for decades. As I garden, I often practice somatic awareness (mindfulness of the body) through breathing and stretching.

Harmony is dear to me. Something inside me changes when I witness overlooked individuals and marginalized groups. I also find myself thinking about how poorly animals and wildlife are often treated. I find a lot of meaning in stewarding my land into a sanctuary for wildlife. I use mulch, living mulch, and companion plants to feed soil life. I also create long-term food sources and homes for above-ground life by growing a diversity of plants and dropping plant residue in piles. My gardens are lush, and full of various insects, plants, fungi, birds, and other beings.

In my research, I’ve focused on developing techniques for growing annual vegetables & decoratives in living mulch (i.e. ground cover). I’ve come to expand my perspective of living mulch to mean: a diverse set of plants which protect and feed the soil. In addition to short ground covers (examples: grass, white clover, deadnettle), I also use taller plants such as flowers, shrubs, and trees (i.e. agroforestry) as living mulch. The diversity increases soil fertility, and it also provides food and habitats for wildlife. Chop and drop appears to be critical to my recent success growing veggies in living mulch.

Regenerative Practices

These are the regenerative principles and practices I’ve adopted so far. You can click each one to learn more.

  • Soil that is exposed to sun, rain, and/or wind dries out, erodes, and compacts quickly.

    Keeping the soil covered with organic mulch (ex: leaves, hay, woodchips), inorganic mulch (ex: plastic weed fabric, gravel), and/or living mulch (ex: clover, grass) does wonders for soil health.

    All of these mulches, when used reasonably, create moister, and more fertile soil. Mulches protect and feed symbiotic fungi, bacteria, worms, and other organisms in our soil.

    Plants are a special mulch. Not only do plants protect soil from erosion and evaporation, their green solar panels (i.e. leaves) literally covert sunlight into energy (aka “exudates”) for friendly bacteria and fungi in the soil. In exchange, these soil organisms (aka “micro-herd”) bring water and nutrients into the rootzone of our plants.

    Healthier soil life results in healthier plants, food, wildlife, livestock, pets, and people. Mulch protects and feeds soil life.

  • A diversity of plants results in healthier soil and a more balanced ecosystem of wildlife. The balanced ecosystem results in reduced crop loss from disease and herbivores. Plus, the diversity is beautiful, and can be delicious 😋

  • Chop and drop accelerates the regeneration of soil life by protecting and feeding soil life. It accelerates the ecosystem through what would otherwise take decades or centuries in natural succession (see also: Syntropic Agroforestry).

    Chop and drop protects soil life because the residue left on the ground functions as mulch. It also feeds soil and replaces the need for composting and fertilizing. The plant residues (branches, stems, leaves, fruits, and roots) decompose above- and below-ground, leaving behind almost all of the nutrients they acquired during their lifetimes as inheritance for the next generation of plants.

    Perhaps the most lucrative benefit has to do with “weeds.” Weeding is one of the most time-consuming and costly chores for farmers around the world. When utilizing chop and drop for competition management, weeds transform from being problems, to being the source of fertility, diversity, and environmental balance on our farm.

    Steps: (1) Chop (prune but keep alive, or chop down and kill) plants that are too crowded, or have excessively dead foliage. (2) Drop the chopped off plant residue on the ground, or consider piling it nearby into tall mulch mounds. Mounds of residue compost in place, and they provide an excellent source of moisture for plants.

    Livestock can be utilized to accomplish both the “chop” (grazing) and the “drop” (pooping and peeing).

    The meaning of “too crowded” can be learned through observation. Symbiotic families of plants (aka companion plants) can live closer together. How close plants can live also depends on: how mature the plants are, what season it is, how healthy the soil is, and how cash crops are doing amidst the other plants.

  • Soil can be anaerobic (without oxygen; toxic) or compacted just below richly organic top soil. Shallow soil life results in shallow roots, which leads to less healthy, even diseased plants.

    Broadforking and cover cropping (especially daikon radish and perennials) are two low-disturbance methods for improving soil life deeper down. Additionally, many regenerative farmers rapidly improve their soil through a single initial till (and don’t till again) to incorporate compost into the deeper layers of their soil.

  • Soil moisture is essential for soil-life to flourish. On the flip side, when soil becomes too wet (i.e. poor drainage), soil life becomes anaerobic, soil compacts, roots can’t breathe, and plants get sick and die.

    Thinking about and observing how rain water moves can help tremendously with both wet and dry seasons. With trenches, swales, and ponds, excess water is slowed down, and routed through reservoirs. Allowing water to seep deeply into the ground can provide moisture for many months of dry weather. Trenches also prevent crop loss and erosion by routing any excess water during the wet season off of the property.

Inspiration

  • Masanobu Fukuoka — Natural Farming & “One Straw Revolution” — successful medium-scale farmer who innovated ecologically restorative farming practices

  • Regenerative Agriculture — global movement centered on restoring our eroded soils, diminishing ocean life, and unstable climates. Key techniques include: conservation tillage, cover cropping, and rotational grazing

  • Wild Farming — increasing wildlife diversity in agricultural settings

  • Ernst Götsch — Syntropic Agroforestry — increasing yields through selection, thinning, and chop and drop

  • Dr. Elaine Ingham (Soil Food Web) — improving harvests through nurturing soil life

  • Gabe Brown (Brown's Ranch) — successful large-scale regenerative farmer and advocate

  • Trees for the Future — empowering people to feed their communities with agroforestry