BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GAPS* GARDENING
So the big question is ‘What is GAPS* Gardening’? In my personal opinion, it means to apply the GAPS* concepts to our garden and to our gardening experience. Here is a list of how I apply the GAPS* concepts within my garden:
1. Grow food – I know exactly how my food is being grown and it helps me to buy less from the supermarket.
2. Reduce toxicity – I try to avoid chemicals and strive to use non-toxic natural materials in my garden.
3. Implement sustainable or regenerative principles – I aim to avoid depleting my garden, but instead try to use the resources within my garden to replenish and renew it, thus making it sustainable for the next growing season. It comes down to the 3 R’s… Reuse, Recycle & Repurpose as much as possible!
4. Support the ecosystem – In my opinion, this encompasses several objectives:
a. Realize that everything has a place in nature… We need to accept its presence and understand how to support it.
b. If we give mother nature the nutrients it needs, it’ll grow and thrive! If we deprive mother nature of nutrients, sadly nothing will grow or it’ll grow poorly.
c. Recognize that even the environment has its own unique microbiome (e.g. the mycelium within the soil)!
d. Fermentation also applies to the garden… I’ve come across recent YouTube videos showing viewers how to create their own fermented/probiotic fertilizer!
5. Use natural methods for troubleshooting – This means understanding the root cause or getting creative on how to cope with the issue. Here are some examples:
a. Certain weeds appear in the garden because the soil is malnourished. So that means we need to hypo-nourish the soil to prevent the weeds from reappearing!
b. Non-beneficial bugs invading your garden... Research which plants will attract beneficial bugs to your garden so that they can eat the non-beneficial bugs. Or use “trap crops” as a distraction to lure the non-beneficial bugs away. Alternatively, sometimes you can use highly scented plants as deterrents for the non-beneficial bugs.
6. Detoxification & Grounding Technique – This is for my personal benefit when I’m gardening.
Because I’m not perfect at employing all these principles (yet!), I do not expect others to be perfect… All I ask of myself is to try my best and aim to try to do better in the future. It’s okay to be imperfect if I’m doing my best given the current circumstances!
Do you apply any of these GAPS* concepts to your garden? Post your comments below for everyone to see!
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