Roots and Shoots: Healthy Habits

I’ve been thinking about all the things that I do again and again because I haven’t stopped to consider another option, or because it seems too hard to change. When it comes to the garden in 2025, I’m looking for ways to be more connected to a thriving environment. 

Habits to Break Up With 

Being mean to soil
Get a soil test. This is a hard rule before fertilizing or amending soil. If you don’t know what’s there, how do you know if you’ve achieved your goal? The ground beneath our feet is a living, vital source of energy and carbon storage. A lawn isn’t an object; it’s a collection of plants. The lack of understanding about soil health is the biggest knowledge gap I find among gardeners, and it’s an essential element of our practice. It takes 500 years to build up topsoil, the top 6 inches of ground that we plant in. Start now. 

Fertilizers aren’t always the solution and unless you know there is a deficiency and you know the needs of the plants in that soil, added nutrients won’t make a difference but can do harm. When excess nutrients aren’t taken up by plants, they wash away in the rain and end up in our streams, lakes and rivers. Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff contribute to harmful algal blooms that close beaches during the summer. 

Leaf blowers
All the consequences have been well documented. Leaf blowers cause air and noise pollution, fill the air with dust and deplete the soil of organic matter that could decompose and add nutrients. Many towns are banning their use during the growing season. 

They are also one of the worst pieces of household equipment for carbon emissions. Use a broom when you need to clear the patio. Have a discussion with your landscape service and ask them to forgo a leaf blower after mowing. A few simple changes can make a big difference. 

Pesticides and herbicides
This is a health issue that impacts humans, wildlife and birds, pets, aquatic life, soil, plants and trees. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says 500,000 to 1 million pounds of pesticides were applied in Putnam County commercially in 2022 and 1 million to 3 million pounds in Dutchess. The federal Environmental Protection Agency consistently notes that household use of pesticides and herbicides is higher than agricultural use. Find natural, science-based solutions and change your mindset that not every insect-bitten leaf is a problem to be solved. 

Habits to strengthen 

Connection
Learn the names of five trees. By this I mean use an identification key and take a close look at a tree. Notice the leaf pattern. Are the petioles opposite and balanced or uneven? Notice the leaf shape. Is it jagged, rounded or smooth on the edges? Look for berries, nuts or flowers. These help to identify a tree, too. Find out the botanical name and how to pronounce it and its common name. 

Now that you’re friendly with five species, share your new knowledge with friends when you go for walks. Identify the species in all its life stages and seasons. Once you start observing, you’ll want to know more. 

Creativity
Take a bold step and choose a new perennial and plant at least 10 of them in one area. I’m guilty of always choosing something new and planting one or two or three — usually one. Who am I kidding? 

When I was a less experienced gardener, I was excited about every plant, and I’d buy that cool-looking perennial and wander the yard looking for a place to put it. But there is something thrilling about a mass of one species. It provides perspective and a powerful pop that a single plant can’t offer. Try a brightly colored flowering perennial and enjoy the results. 

Rejuvenation
There will be many challenges this year for people who care about nature. I tend to get overcome by politics and can’t find solace in the forest around my home because all I see is barberry and ecosystem struggles. I want to change that habit of identifying the problems without also experiencing the beauty. Less distress and more appreciation, even when it isn’t a pristine, restored, conserved environment. Find your safe place on the land and practice feeling gratitude in whatever state you find it.