Carbon Footprint Of Home Garden Is HUGE... According To Telegraph

I am sure you have see the Telegraph article about the average home garden footprint being greater than that of a conventional farm. This Gardening In Canada video looks at this article and break down some of the ways you can about avoid having a high CO2 output.
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A B O U T M E:
Ashley is a soil scientist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are KZbin, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s KZbin channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her KZbin channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners.
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This description or comments section may contain links to affiliate websites. I receive a commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such a link. This includes the gardening in Canada website. You should assume all links both on the gardening in Canada KZbin, Blog, and all other social media are affiliates and I will receive compensation.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m not confident that this single study hold much weight to be honest folks. I’m pretty confident the G.I.C Crew is doing the right thing for the environment. Keep gardening. The 5X difference is 0.07 kg CO2 per serving from farms. 0.34 kg CO2 per serving from home gardens. Nowhere in the article did it indicate what a serving equated to.

[@EXTREMERC416]

Its a hit piece. Imported food produce loads more co2 than something u grow in ur backward, its common sense. I know you love science but you need to understand science is not like it was in the pass now a lot of the science is just a mouth piece for politics like paid programs on specific subject to manufacturer a specific outcome. Lie with statistics. You cannot tell me a farmer who uses heavy machinery and use tons of fertilizer and then harvest the food with more machinery and then is processed by machinery and they shipped with trucks and planes to other countries makes less co2 than a home grown tomatoes or peppers...

[@barrybridgeford530]

Is the article addressing "carbon dioxide footprint" of individual vegetables or the "carbon footprint" of the production and delivery of individual vegetables? Industrial agriculture's carbon footprint involves artificial fertilizers produced from many petroleum-based materials .. sophisticated manufactured tractors and machinery to tend the soil, sow and harvest the vegetables .. fossil fuel to power said machinery .. sorting/washing/packing machinery, transportation vehicles and their fuel to bring the vegetables to market .. construction and maintenance of all buildings along the way (farm buildings, distribution warehouses, retail stores) .. private vehicles to bring workers to facilities along the way, to bring customers to the stores to purchase the vegetables. Home gardening, does share some carbon footprint elements with industrial agriculture .. production of required seeds, provision of hand tools, soil amendments, and water .. minimal by comparison and proportional to the size of the crop. Admittedly, if one has to travel to and from an allotment, there is a transportation cost. However, driving to and from an allotment isn't much different than attending a softball game. It's a beneficial "mental health activity" that also provides great food! To me, trying to run a comparison between industrial agriculture and home-based vegetable gardens and then criticizing the latter, is as ludicrous as trying to claim that a tasty juicy vine-ripened heirloom tomato is no better than a warehouse-ripened tough hybrid tomato.

[@elsancho-mx7om]

​@@barrybridgeford530 the problem is all the unnecessary crap people buy for their garden because they want an anesthetic garden instead of trying to optimize their garden for production.

[@gordonsmith5589]

They are simply looking for ways to make us dependent on them. They don’t want us independently living.

[@mr.hamilton5393]

Hang on! Now Bill Gates is coming for your backyard GARDENS? | Redacted with Clayton Morris

[@House_JAP]

I don’t know about everyone else but for me this article was distressing because they are essentially trying to craft a narrative that gardeners will be placed into a category like aerosols and fossil fuel whereas I feel gardening is one of the healthiest things a nature loving person can do for themselves.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh goodness I hope not. I take my garden away. I’m gonna be incredibly bored.

[@jjjackson5183]

Don't worry. Most people can't tell okra from hibiscus. So plant some flowers with your plants and they will have no idea.

[@jwhite5396]

They want total control of the food supply.

[@liamsdad33]

They're probably going to regulate it to death with no sound evidence like everything else they do

[@reneedevry4361]

I​@@jwhite5396 I agree. It will be H2O next.

[@saintamerican6105]

Oh gosh they desperately want us to rely on grocery stores and GMO foods/products

[@CyberSERT]

They actually want us to eat ze bugs.

[@phackqu]

​@@CyberSERTand glysophate mixed in with vaxxines

[@yellowhouse5592]

Here come the "they" people...

[@CyberSERT]

@@yellowhouse5592 I prefer the term "Awake" people.

[@jeanetteschulthe1andOnly]

Thank you.

[@ienekevanhouten4559]

That article set my conspiracy antennae tingling.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah uh oh

[@ceeho]

They don't want us producing our own food. They want us dependant.

[@catherineincanada1874]

Yes 🎯this whole premise is absolute horse💩esp when davos jetsetters & global leaders etc justifying their own personal gargantuan use by saying it's necessary because they're more important.... than what? Life? People? Food??? Have they never heard of zoom? Y'all smelling the coffee yet peeps?🤡😵‍💫🤯🤡 I'd say this 💩article would make perfect fertilizer🥳🥳🥳

[@barbstcyr304]

Definitely!

[@felinespirits]

Yep. The folks who write and push articles like this do not care about the science. It is ALL about the narrative.

[@deborahjudyboucher1072]

Any study that only looks at the carbon footprint is faulty right from the start. It negates one of the most important aspects of plants. Something that we learn in grade school. Plants absorb CO2 and give off oxygen. Wether it's a blade of grass or a giant maple tree.

[@EXTREMERC416]

Just use logic and you will understand why this article and study is wrong. Hwo is food grown and shipper at large scale?

[@terriwhite6273]

What about the vehicles needed on the conventional gardening? My home garden vehicle is a wagon

[@Viviolau]

Also how the soil is left after all is said and done. If the soil is left worse off, I’d think that matters too..

[@CampingforCool41]

I mean the carbon absorption of a home garden is basically nothing when you factor in the fact that all that plant matter decomposes right back into co2.

[@yellowhouse5592]

The point is that actual farms can grow (some) food more efficiently. I think that's probably true, due to economies of scale.

[@donwilliamson2661]

Notice how it is only about *FOOD* and not ornamental non-native flowers and shrubs, lawns, swimming pools, patio heaters, concrete, etc!!!

[@Marley-ii6ls]

So true. And this pion will get their PhD. and promote their lame ideas in the classroom until enough graduates get into the real world and enact legislation to outlaw gardens.

[@Marley-ii6ls]

This pion will get their PhD. and promote their lame ideas in the classroom until enough graduates get into the real world and enact legislation to outlaw gardens based on co2 hysteria and pseudo science.

[@Rg-ui1wl]

Wow, good catch!

[@credenza1]

Exactly. They gave the game away there!

[@ibrstellar1080]

@@Marley-ii6ls And given a post at a Blackrock owned environmental research NGO to push the Agenda.

[@LovelyIslandVacation-ch6wo]

Since I started gardening I have been composting everything that can be composted as well.. I only started that to make compost for my garden so they should also figure in how much waste is spared from the landfill by millions of home gardeners composting and keeping their leaves on their plot instead of sending to the trash

[@j.b.6855]

Remember, garbage trucks, that are mostly diesel, add tons of co2.

[@thistles]

Maybe you can compost the authors of this “study”.

[@LovelyIslandVacation-ch6wo]

@@thistles seems a little hard core for a disagreement. The study could be correct for all we know.

[@baneverything5580]

I see no difference in adding all my grass clippings and leaves directly to my garden and leaving them to rot where they fall. Well, except the fact that my garden is providing food. And I use electric mowers and tillers because I have solar backup and want to be sure no outside influence can shut me down here.

[@Aveeguides]

Seriously! Leaves and grass clippings alone give me more compost than I can keep up with. I let my grass grow tall a couple times a season and then rake up about an acre worth of clippings. Combined with shredded leaves from our property, and I have a yearly mound of compost the size of a zero turner.

[@resourcefulgirl]

I find the article interesting not because of claims that the home gardener produces more CO2 but instead, because of the timing. I have not read the article but I'm basing my comment upon the information you provided in the video. Just 15 minutes ago I watch Dr Eric Berg's video on how eggs will kill you. The article claimed that eggs, even half an egg daily, increases the risk of death due to cancer and heart disease. Of course, he disagrees with the quality of the study and its findings. Then I have to ask myself, what are many people starting to do? Well, they are starting home gardens and raising chickens. Two actions that enable one to be more independent with their food supply. My conclusion is that the propaganda machines are busy trying to sway people away from food independence. I know you were being very gracious in your review of the article but call me jaded, I think most forms of information have an agenda behind them. I was wondering if the article went beyond what you mentioned such as transport for packaging and then selling the product. Or, looking at the infrastructure required to package and house the products so they can be sold. Or driving from one store to the next to fulfill your grocery list. All of that is huge and needs to be considered. The energy consumed for me to consume fruits and veggies is to walk outside my door to my little piece of infrastructure and pick what I want. So this is just another propaganda hit piece to steer the masses away from food independence. Once this is realized we should ask why. I've done that and my conclusions are concerning. Thanks so much for the vid. Love your channel. I'm just not nice about these types of articles any longer because I find most of the content is counter to reality.

[@catherineincanada1874]

Ditto!!!!💯🎯

[@katie7748]

ABSOFREAKINLUTELY!!!!

[@sharonhochberg3671]

👍👍👍👍💯. I could not have said this better!!! THANK YOU! I just saw the video by Dr. Berg about eggs. The main points regarding this/these studies are that: (1) they are based on observation and surveys that rely on memory (who remembers how many eggs they ate in the past x amount of time?); (2) the studies included mega analysis, but on more of the same inaccurate observational "studies" ; (3) there were no clinical data, e.g., eat eggs then we measure a biological component as a result; (4) the researchers were funded by plant-based food companies - no conflict of interest there, right? Yes, the timing of these studies seem to correlate with the push for plant-based or even disgusting lab-produced food. The timing of all this is very real.

[@kaz1388]

Agree 💯 Articles like this are intensely dangerous. It conveniently ignores a heap of factors in order to make its claim (realistically, a false claim) and creates a library of (false) articles that compiled together at some future date may have power to impact government decisions, etc and detrimentally impact food independence. Articles like this are a disgrace.

[@MattieAMiller]

Even though most researchers are honest and fair in their results, we have to remember that the studies themselves are chosen mostly by funding, and the corporations only pay for leading questions in their best interest

[@corinne7126]

Bill Gates at the WEF was going after the home gardener. This was a very limited study. They just looked at co2, how about water usage? Transportation cost?

[@WYO_Dirtbag]

And the amount of single use plastics used in packaging commercial produce

[@credenza1]

Not to mention the physical and mental health benefits of gardening. It is very telling that they only target domestic food production, and not domestic flowers and shrubs which would be equally culpable. A plant is a plant whether it produces edible produce or not. The fixation on food plants shows that it is just another aspect of the WEF aim to control - and limit - the food supply.

[@lunaflamed]

Especially stupid since carbon dioxide is plant food.

[@reneedevry4361]

I notice that while there was a focus on Carbon footprint, nothing was said about how consuming much lower nutrient rich foods from conventional agriculture impacts the overall Carbon footprint through sickness and all the Carbon footprint rich businesses and areas this impacts. I agree that the average Hobbies like video gaming, snowmobiling, jet sking etc, etc. are all more Co2 creating.

[@Itried20takennames]

Organic farmers have tried for years to show that organic foods have a health benefit, and haven’t been able to do so to any degree. Once you are eating vegetables daily, it is hard to show that the “nutrient” level matters much, as even farm factory veggies are plenty full of nutrients.

[@angelikalaser7778]

Carbon footprint was an idea produced by Fuel Producer to shift the blame from (oil) industry to the individual. One companys action can reduce a millions individuals effort to reduce CO2 to zero. So they can fro as far as I'm concerned.

[@ajourney50]

Give me a break. When the future looks back at this time, they're going to shake their heads in disbelief. I would like to see the data for this "study".

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea according to the study/article it’s 0.07 kg of CO2 per serving of food on a farm. And 0.34 kg of CO2 per serving for home gardens. So 5 ish times higher. The raw data I could not see because I don’t have access to that specific journal

[@saal0]

@@GardeningInCanadai could probably send it to you if you want. I have a uni account. Just let me know how.

[@leofortey7561]

@@saal0 Post it for everyone to see. Link to a forum or website that will have it.

[@flyhi2773]

Actually, if you’re aware of the study, Limits to growth and how things have actually panned out, very much as predicted all this is extremely sinister….I’m a keen gardener but hard to believe as it might be, my father was a British diplomat, actually part of the British intelligence community, and AT TIMES a Government advisor, mostly to Margaret Thatcher regards The Falklands war our by chance, having returned from South America but a few months before. I know Governments will not ignore Limits, and began to suspect stuff around late 90s, early 2000s. Do I know what they’re planning? Yes and no….Yes, for THEM to survive. Perk of the job. How exactly I’m not 100% sure. I would expect them to evacuate politicians and senior civil servants plus their families probably by sea, can commandeer cruise ships if required plus aircraft, stay at sea ages or go to remote island military bases but aim to survive they will. What they plan for us, I have no idea but I’ll suggest it’s so bad, they can’t tell us….Most will not survive a global economic collapse long. Limits to growth, ( original 1972 TV documentary about civilisation collapse on schedule in 2020 forecasts this…and soon. I don’t think even they know EXACTLY how soon is soon but next 25 years definitely. Trust me, you’re all considered dispensable, surplus to requirements. I never knew my father was a Government advisor. My mother who passed away last year, only told me stuff in 2012. She wanted me to know because he made a big impact on some of the worlds biggest events. Never ever discussed it with my father. What little I was told was very eye opening. Then there’s other things….little things like he retired mid 1990s but kept in touch with colleagues who told him he was lucky to retire when he did. Very innocently he said this numerous times in conversation. Because of my father, I know never EVER to trust Government. In 1992 there was a huge conference in Cairo on the worlds population…I have a feeling that with the fall of communism, they began looking for the next big threat, and concluded, it was us!!! We became the new enemy…look up Bill Binney, whistleblower he did the exact same job my father did. Edward Snowden is more famous. Trudeau?? Personally I think he’s vile. There’s loads involved. I think it’s possible to spot at least some of them; Ahern, New Zealand, Morrison, Australia, Obama and Clinton’s USA…I don’t myself think Trump. Trudeau Canada, Macron France, Merkel Germany, Ruttes, Netherlands. Most of the EU lot. UK? Blair….big time. Cameron too. Good few others. I don’t think it will materialise soon as in next ten years but 2035? 2040? My betting is IF THINGS GO AS FORECAST AND MORE OR LESS TO PLAN, somewhere around then, certainly by 2050 BUT the truth is, they could bring it all crashing down tomorrow if they needed to. Look at the debt, Government debt, mortgage debt, housing market….it’s more fragile than we realise.

[@silencedogood9747]

We won't be able to look back at this time because they'll change all the history books! We'll be under tight control like the book 1984 if we don't start putting our foot down asap!

[@jeffmeyers3837]

My study found that telegraph authors writing articles uses 3x the carbon footprint as conventional authors writing on paper. The carbon from the construction of the infrastructure needed for the telegraph author (datacenters, heating/cooling, electrical, fiber, routers, servers, data storage / spinning disks) was incredible compared to writing on paper.

[@Rg-ui1wl]

LMAO, I love it!

[@snowfall7557]

😀 well said

[@v.mwilliams1101]

Probably written by AI, rise of the robots.

[@the_earthway]

Keep Living The Earthway. Forget about the MSM and the unelected elite

[@tanjawestfall-greiter9814]

The original article was published in Nature Cities (available online) and says something else. It's about the infrastructure in urban settings; that is the reason the veg grown there has a higher carbon footprint. Good old-fashioned in-ground beds, no-dig, cycling of resources (compost, mulch material) will have a better footprint than conventional ag.

[@sunnyflowers2812]

Thankyou so much for your viewpoint on this. I read the article and I think they forgot to account for the conscientious gardener and focused on the crowd that signed up during lock downs. 😂😂 anyone wanting to feed their family the freshest and healthiest food from their own hard work and save their pennies is going to recycle materials and reduce waste. THAT gardener is already a planet hero in my books.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Good point!

[@11Aradia11]

Hi, I read the news article and took it to only account for the carbon footprint to grow the fruit & vegetable not storage or transportation as there is no mention of those factors - it also makes sense that growing at scale will reduce imputs/environmental damage. I would love access to the full report not some journalist snippets as its likely skewed to discourage people from having a garden. Also we know once you factor in transportation and storage cost growing your own food is way better for the environment & you. 😉

[@priestesslucy3299]

It also isn't comparing the cO2 of a garden to a lawn.

[@ArtFlowersBeeze8815]

I agree! A flawed study to generally glom a global aspect onto home gardens. A forest fire or transportation of food stuffs jams more C02 in the air than weenie little gardens do in a day or a week rather than a raised bed over a whole summer. Not realistic at all.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Well, they did factor in transport remember how they mentioned as asparagus being one of those in which are better to grow at home. And the factor, for that was actually the transport of it to the grocery.

[@teresamexico309]

Besides the happiness of looking and enjoying our gardens and wildlife that comes to them.

[@WYO_Dirtbag]

Even if it's true farming on mass with massive diesel tractors, combines, etc makes less CO2. What's the trade off with commercial farming and the forever chemicals that gets constantly sprayed and is destroying the little bit of freshwater we have. The removal of trees for massive fields and the loss of things like valuable top soil.

[@ceeho]

This makes me think of the Dutch Farmers Protests.

[@miriambartley6622]

Yes!

[@GardeningInCanada]

That one was over lessening how much they produce or something right. I can’t even remember now at this point.B😂

[@louise2209]

I think it was over how much nitrogen they use? Or that could be Germany and the Dutch was over methane?

[@ricetanzania4148]

We are happy we have the BBB and Wilders now

[@ibrstellar1080]

@@GardeningInCanada They p An to forcefully take 10,000 farms to build houses for the millions of migrants.

[@kbjerke]

With the Turd in Chief jet-setting all over the planet on a whim, leaving a humongous CO2 footprint and not giving a damn, I'm not at all concerned about mine. I also doubt that a triple soy latté infused PHD candidate has much of a clue about gardening at all. Thanks for getting my ire up, Ashley. 🙄 ❤

[@samanthabloggins1775]

Lol. Love your comment!, 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@kbjerke]

@@samanthabloggins1775 Thank you. Happy gardening!!

[@catherineincanada1874]

Ditto!!!!!💯🎯

[@stevewilliams6667]

Well stated, do the opposite of what these fools want and you will be ok.

[@GardeningInCanada]

The irony here is that Canada wasn’t included in the study. And the reason for that is because I think it would’ve actually skewed the data of the study to make it opposite. We can’t grow eight months of the year or so. Most is trucked or brought in from all over the world. We have how much stuff that says product of Mexico on the shelves and grocery stores. That in of itself answers the question.

[@NotGoddess]

I'll need to read the study, but I'll still garden. I like the flavor of a homegrown tomato, canteloupe, and asparagus to store-bought. I also feel the mental and physical benefits of gardening help me more than buying salad at the store and driving to a gym.

[@sweatt4237]

When then show up at your door you wont be growing anything anymore. This is what happens when everyone believes a lie.

[@WYO_Dirtbag]

And you don't have to consume the questionable preserving chemicals sprayed on the vegetables and also throw away all that single use packaging when you grow it yourself.

[@ricetanzania4148]

no need to read, because the source is suspect And we just use our commen brain.

[@frederick19089]

Tell me what I am missing. Plants need co2 The more co2 the more plant growth The more plants the more oxygen The tiny amount of our atmosphere that co2 comprises is necessary for all life on this planet

[@samanthawhang7498]

You’re missing that they want to control you by making you fully dependent on them for everything - you’ll own nothing and be happy.

[@yellowhouse5592]

Demand for gardening is demand for developed land. Land is zero-sum between developed and undeveloped. Developed land has higher footprint than undeveloped.

[@timyates807]

Your absolutely right . if people knew this simple fact the narrative would fall apart. they rely on peoples laziness to look into things themselves . its shocking this many people are oblivious still. great comment . thank you

[@timyates807]

@@yellowhouse5592 so your lawns better than a garden ??? no its not lol

[@yellowhouse5592]

@@timyates807 I don't have a lawn

[@nickfisherNF]

Don't plants eat CO2?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes haha. The issue according to this article is we don’t suck up enough CO2 too offset our garden shed purchases.

[@Rg-ui1wl]

its just to keep us discussing this nonsense so we forget who the real culprit is. Oh Crap, I fell for it.

[@priestesslucy3299]

One thing that just hit me, the article doesn't factor in the CO2 that would otherwise be spent maintaining a lawn. Gardens don't exist in a vacuum. They're an alternative to lawns

[@kb1236]

Exactly, you would for sure need a shed to store the lawn mower, nitrogen, lime, sprinklers, weed eaters, herbicides and pesticides and so on anyway. The yard has to be maintained in some way or they will be using their heavy equipment to do it and charging you.

[@credenza1]

That is where they gave themselves away. The WEF quickly started promoting this study, as it aligns with their aim of controlling and limiting world food supplies. If it were only CO2 they were concerned about they would have examined all the vegetation in domestic gardens.

[@burntrubber7458]

It's all about control. Control the food you control the people. Never give up your God given rights.

[@StuckOnPandora]

Gardens are ecosystems. The dearth of wildlife in the surrounding suburbs and the rich tapestry of Life in its various forms in my garden, is all I need to know.

[@Watoosi13]

Right? I spent today watching hundreds of birds eat from my backyard and bees bounce from flower to flower. I’m not worried about CO2, I’m worried that I’m the only ecosystem for miles with this much biodiversity.

[@cmbells7736]

​@@Watoosi13where do all the butterflies come from, I have no idea. Can't find em anywhere in my city even the lawn parks, but my flower garden is filled with life. I find gardening to be the true, if you build it they will come.

[@yellowhouse5592]

The ecosystem value of a vegetable garden is less than that of undisturbed wilderness, unless the garden uses land more efficiently than the same food grown on a farm, which this study suggests it doesn't.

[@StuckOnPandora]

What's better? Growing your own food, in a no-till restorative garden, full of insects, birds, small mammals, amphibians, and fungi. Or, a mono-cropped, chemically fertilized lawn. By building soil in our backyards, we are not only sustaining ourselves, family, and environment. Sure, an untouched forest is going to capture more Carbon. But, we don't live on untouched forest. It's a better comparison to look at the carbon footprint of a regular suburban house with a lawn, one with a landscaped yard with a diversity of plants, and one with a garden. @@yellowhouse5592

[@ac4941]

​​@@yellowhouse5592 it depends on what is being grown. Native crops to ones region bring native wildlife and double dip for food production and providing ecology, this is what the discipline of agroecology studies. Not that plenty of people just grow whatever they want, but it also doesn't have to be that way. I've got almost my whole community garden growing lambsquarters now :)

[@samhickmott2581]

So great to hear a gardener advocating not using raised beds! I'm a head gardener for the National Trust in the UK, often get asked about how to set up a raised bed and my answer is always don't if don't need to (ie unless you aren't able to reach the ground etc)! Just get planting and add a bit of organic matter to the soil and you'll be away. Good to hear a considered, nuanced take

[@Whisperhollow]

Neighborhood dogs and cats, squirrels, raccoons, and possums dig up my garden if I do not raise my beds.

[@joniboulware1436]

Raised beds solve so many problems for so many situations. They have expanded people's interest and participation in home gardening and that is a good thing.

[@AMVayanefan]

A few years back, we were told that using wood was carbon neutral because the same wood used, in whatever form even if burned, is still going to emit the same CO2 as the tree rotting in the forest after it fell.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh, how interesting that’s cool

[@MH-ku5kn]

Trees rot far slower than they burn. Just something to think about.

[@takeshikovax6254]

That would only be true if we only used wood from trees that fell all by themselves. Even then, it's removing organic and mineral matter from forests that could've been used by future plants and trees. The earth is currently being deforested for materials and agriculture, so burning wood is very much not carbon neutral, despite what the Trump-appointed anti-EPA EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said.

[@percussionof12]

If you cut the tree down with an axe, and carry it home on your shoulder, then it's carbon neutral. If you drive to home depot and buy milled lumber, it's not quite neutral anymore. Still probably the closest thing to carbon neutral that you'll be able to buy though.

[@MeanOldLady]

There are also videos out there that talk about making bio char without throwing off a lot of CO2.

[@linzertorte4003]

I think it’s good you bring it up as a hobby - for example, gardening vs. Woodworking vs sewing vs glassblowing, etc… and each hobby’s footprint.

[@Wayoutthere]

It's not a mere 'hobby', it's LIFE. Or, become overweight, depressed or unproductive and/or sick without them. Imagine the cost of that.

[@omeshsingh8091]

Did the article note how there are massive spikes in atmospheric CO2 after tillage (due to conventional agriculture) as measured in the Northern Hemisphere? Also, via low tillage home-gardening, one can greatly increases one's soil-organic component, which should be a "negative value" in the CO2 account.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I could only assume they took in the factor all those different aspects of farming. I know in the US tillage is very popular. So it would seem to be almost a miss use of the data not to include that into what they’re doing. And that’s particularly true for the root vegetable growing on a farm setting. Potatoes, carrots, beets all of those are essentially ripping up the surface of the soil to depth in which they can grab the food

[@auntyjo1792]

​@@GardeningInCanada The cynic in me says assume nothing!

[@jodytrimmel579]

You did a great job of breaking down the article. Thank you for taking time out to go more in-depth 😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bodymindhealth4u]

Thank you for a shout out to the disability community. My dad could not garden without raised beds due to his SBMA (Kennedys). Even my fibromyalgia makes it very hard to do “traditional”.

[@GardeningInCanada]

110% I advocate for using those raised beds or whatever you need to use to be able to still do your hobby. My grandma had horrible arthritis and it made it really difficult for her to garden and ground. Gardening is a lifetime hobby and therefore you just need to make small adjustments to continue being able to get things done.

[@priestesslucy3299]

it's also a fact that raised beds don't need to embody hardly any CO2 aside from that produced by the people assembling them. It all depends on the materials and manpower (could be family or hirrd help) available. Dropping a single tree that needed to go down anyway for whatever reason can yield all the logs needed for log raised beds for a household. Rammed earth raised beds aren't space efficient, but in a low rain climate they hold the moisture better and can be sloped inwards to gather more rainfall compared to thin wall raised beds, and provide a sitting surface for those who need one. If it gets cold where you are, there are firewood dealers. You can probably buy bad wood (the stuff that is starting to rot) for pennies on the dollar and either line them up (if rounds) or stack them into walls

[@douglasgoodfellow9443]

Interesting now compared to a grass lawn? Would not the decomposition be happening regardless of the yard it happens in?

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s actually really good point. What would the carbon footprint of a household look like if they had no garden. I would assume it would be higher.

[@teac117]

General rule of thumb I've gone by is that CO2 output is actually very closely tied to $, if you actually include worker's individual CO2 contributions, etc (which sometimes are/not included). In any case, this jives with your previous video on things to grow cheaper than the grocery store. Also, tomatoes in the market have to be blemish free and that requires the intensive input to keep wastage down, but home gardeners are less picky. If they were more picky (sometimes they are), then we'll asymptotically approach the greenhouse input levels as they build out the homegrown infrastructure in the most unscaled inefficient manner :P In a way though, the report is comparing apples to oranges. heh.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea this is an awesome way to look at it.

[@takeshikovax6254]

That's the same rule of thumb I've had for years. The rule of thumb sometimes breaks down when buying cheap stuff that wears out or breaks quickly, but it is, in general, a good rule of thumb. And, I guess if you include the cost of replacing cheap stuff with more cheap stuff, instead of buying something that lasts much longer, the rule still holds.

[@THEALIENCOW]

Oh, I like this. Thanks for sharing.

[@credenza1]

Excellent point about the wastage of mass produced food due to aesthetic standards.

[@teac117]

@@credenza1 To be fair, it's not all consumer side. For instance, Canada's food inspection authority has strict guidelines on what can be sold under each food class. Corn ears for instance has to be full, blemish free, etc etc. A saavy producer will either try to reduce substandard ears which increases the carbon footprint, or sell the seconds to a processed food manufacturer, usually at deep discount. That second approach is more of a loss recovery, than a viable business.

[@timcoolican459]

RAISED BEDS What I have tried in my garden, is to 'mound' the soil, raising a row above the level of the garden to plant in. I use the existing soil in the garden to make rows that are raised up to 12" above the surrounding garden levels. This creates a row that is not as compacted, allowing good drainage (or so I think) especially if we receive a torrential downpour...like we did last year. My garden was flooded, but I only lost a few carrot seeds. I am thinking of creating raised beds, as my age and disabilities make it harder to garden. So what I would do is, again, use the existing soil in my garden to fill the raised beds. I'm not sure how many beds I could make, but they do not have to be that deep. I would also leave a section of soil untouched, which I would use to recycle the soil from the raised beds in, along with soil composting and the addition of some composted manure and homemade biochar.

[@catherineincanada1874]

I've also put in raised beds for same reasons, plus lot infested with flea beetles & nothing truly effective to knock those little bas***ds out😵‍💫I've tried just about every home-made AND store-bought products you can think of (sigh) fyi I filled bottom of raised beds with dry &/or rotting logs, branches etc, then layer of yard waste, then aged manure, then compost & finally soils. The slow decomposition provides ongoing nutrients making beds richer for planting, as well as heat given off during process. Noticed last fall many plants lasted well beyond usual die-off here northern ontario (-35 to -47 winters) if I'd had more time I would've put row covers on to see how much that extends my growing season....

[@katjoy9921]

😅I am so glad you said what you did say at the end about this video about “not to worry about it” and the article was “used to get us excited”. I have tried to be as “green” as I can be for years and gained some knowledge about gardening and my little space to protect good ole Mother Nature. Some articles even from good sources can be so narrow that the bigger picture is clouded with the best of intentions. Thanks again for doing your review. I’m a Canadian too and regrettably, environmental conditions can dictate what we are able to grow.

[@denimvelvet4670]

Yeah, I have difficulty believing that. Most produce at my local grocery is either from Mexico or states very far from mine. Even locally grown means from a state over as much as it does from my state. Unless you go to roadside stands you're probably seeing food from elsewhere, and even sometimes roadside stands have food with stickers labeling from other states. I feel like a person would have to go out of their way to cause a bigger footprint than a big producer to make as much of a footprint. Because the bigger producer is sending out even more produce, and so it wouldn't be a comparison of say one cantaloupe to one cantaloupe. It would be a comparison of all of the cantaloupe grown and what their final destination was.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea me too… that’s what I think as well

[@kb1236]

Yes, it is like they go out of their way to ship it as far as possible. The grocery store near me makes a big deal with lots of signs when they actually have locally grown produce.

[@adultpersonman4612]

I think the lifespan of the garden is one of the most interesting things about the article. I didn’t read it so I can’t be sure but it doesn’t seem to account the fact that a lot of these material can be gotten second hand and last through multiple people. I think this study can also only really be useful if it looks at several types of home gardens. Like at my home we focus primarily on permaculture and regenerative ag, trying to keep our inputs minimal and our system close loop. It is obviously impossible that my garden being made completely out of scrap wood, 20 yr old tools and compost from local waste streams has a large of an impact as a conventional system. However it’s very easy for me to believe that the person who runs their sprinklers 4x a day in the summer, buys new soil for their pressure treated garden beds, and has a new greenhouse plastic every season is eating up carbon. There’s just so much nuance that 70ish gardens can’t really let us see. Especially when you factor in storage, transportation, waste, packaging equipment. I feel like this study got really ahead of itself coming to any conclusions.

[@xzyeee]

One of the major rules of science is the foregrounding of skepticism...healthy skepticism. There are certain key markers that show when healthy skepticism is done well. One of the most important is critical questioning NOT to win an argument but to uncover the truth and the context in which that truth is situated. My attempt, therefore, as healthy skepticism is this question; Who funded the research and to what extent? I wish to begin there. Can anyone help me?

[@elizknight8262]

I love your channel Ashley. I've learned so much from you! You're my go-to when I need some good garden talk.

[@jamistokes5333]

The article is almost contradictory. Most people in my area grow outside and not in greenhouses. And the vegetables you list are what we all grow outside. The title of the article is odd considering the writer's final conclusions. I love your analysis. Thanks so much for buying the article and breaking it down for us!!! I will now plant an excess amount of low carbon footprint plants 😀

[@vallamon1477]

How many volcanoes are going off and How much co2 are they releasing? I use old tires. I pack the inside rims with leaves and grass cuttings in the fall. Decomposes over the winter. Use wood ash if I want more alkaline. 4 rain barrels for water.

[@heatherhowellstaff4392]

In the actual research study, they mentioned that if the urban agriculturalist (ie gardener) used waste material when they were creating their gardens, then the gardens were actually better than conventional farms. So your tires, leaves, and grass cuttings would bit under than.

[@GardeningInCanada]

@@heatherhowellstaff4392 yeah, they do mention that as one of the steps to reduce the CO2 numbers of your garden

[@Cyber_Nomad01]

Climate hysteria is big business.

[@NeonCicada]

Probably best to avoid using sexist terminology though; i.e. 'hysteria' lol _(...just due to the awful history of weaponized linguistic meaning; both explicit and connotative)_

[@joselup]

​@@NeonCicada🙄

[@elsancho-mx7om]

​@@NeonCicadawtf are you talking about?

[@Handles_AreStupid]

@@NeonCicada If you do not like the termanology of others, you can simply ignore it. I don't like people saying "weaponized", but I wouldn''t tell you to avoid using it.

[@catherineincanada1874]

Wow@@NeonCicada "sexist terminology"?!? Seriously?????😳🤯Calm down please, we're all talking about gardening & climate, zero sexist anything there whatsoever.

[@jojow8416]

Thank you dear for your brilliant commentary on this subject. Here in Massachusetts our soil goes from pebbles to boulders making raised beds a necessity. I have also made a lasagna garden that required a backhoe to remove some of the boulders, but I was determined to have an inground garden like my parents had in B.C. in the 60s.

[@timothysmit3029]

Now guess what they are trying to reduce…

[@sparkysoutdoors6240]

And carbon dioxide is plant food😂

[@susanb4816]

Fun fact: it belongs in tissues more than the atmosphere

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes yes we are 😅

[@mendicantcrow]

Thank you for doing this. It was about what I figured your take would be. I do feel we've gotten into an era that encourages over-consumerism around gardening, but agree that choosing plants wisely, not buying gear you don't need, and not over-fertilizing keep this a green enough hobby

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Compared to almost any other hobby even if the gardener does buy excessive unnecessary products it is still better than most hobbies, the home gardener is saving the pollinators, composting, creating beauty, feeding people, and creating habitat for wild creatures, atleast in urban areas.

[@barbaralong8665]

Thanks for explaining this article fully. In California I can grow 12 months a year and long term avoid synthetic fertilizer.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Fantastic!

[@johnransom1146]

More c02 intensive than golf? If you buy used equipment, that cuts down on co2. Char the boards used for beds. The charred layer will not admit the things that lead to rot. Good for posts too.

[@drawyrral]

I went with fruit trees and dense perennial guilds. I trade the fruit for veggies in the fall. Trees also take a lot of carbon out of the air.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yeah, particularly young trees suck up a lot of carbon!

[@teresamexico309]

I do trade also organic grown tomatoes from a friend that does it at at commercial scale by pears from a huge tree of mine. I grow only a few plants of some tomato varieties for fresh consumption mainly.

[@lyndalovesraccoons]

And now im ExtraHappy about dropping a packet of asparagus seeds Years ago.... 😁🤭

[@Alex_Riddles]

Was the carbon footprint for the production of the food or the production and transportation? That did not seem clear from what I had seen of the article. There is a whole lot of fruit and vegetables produced within 100 feet of my kitchen table.

[@PraxisPrepper]

Great video. Thx for taking the time to convey the entire article as you did.

[@davidbryden7904]

It really depends on your style of gardening. If you're doing livingsoil with your own compost and wormcastings it can much lower than using synthetic fertilizers.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Honestly, I think it’s a gardeners that have all of the crazy decor and stuff that would fall in this group. So say you have sheds, fancy, raise beds, nice covers, mostly annual flowers and then you throw in a few special plants. I mean yeah your footprints gonna be huge compared to someone who’s pure basics and veggies

[@stephaniegee227]

Down here in the southern US where I live, we don't use a greenhouse at all. Everything is grown in ground at our house, including tomatoes and asparagus. We also have trees, bushes, flowers and a lovely, if small, wildlife habitat on our property. I can't see how this article applies to what our local home gardeners do.

[@saal0]

Also, by a greenhouse they probably mean those with huge grow light and irrigation setups. Not a glass greenhouse in the garden that uses the sun. Because apart from construction costs, those don’t emit a thing! (Except beautiful veggies)

[@susanb4816]

The telegraph is a rightwing rag

[@giantfactory]

Maybe by UK standards (I'm in the US so I don't know) but a war on meat and self sustainability is a progressive position. Don't know any "right-wing" media outlets in the US trying to use "climate change" in order to try and get people less independent and more dependent on the state. Besides, this doesn't sound like an op-ed piece, merely covering this "study" out of the University of Michigan, a deeply liberal college.

[@nickfisherNF]

It typically does lean a bit more to the right, but in general, the crazy climate crisis, people are mostly on the left, which makes this article interesting. The reality is plants breathe CO2 and exhale, oxygen, so just keep on gardening people.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I don’t read them often so I’m really sure which way they lean.

[@EXTREMERC416]

Slightly leans right. But ussualy its the left wing rad that cries climate change 24/7. This article in particular was mostly written by a lefty climate activist

[@sparkysoutdoors6240]

If the telegraph is a right wing rag for printing this article what would you call the university? They produced and published their findings.

[@CreativeRedundancy]

Hello Ashley. Listening and sharing this with fellow gardeners. I get that infrastructure takes resources like a shed, beds and tools. Some do source 2nd hand for those. Just to add. Using rainwater would reduce it because less energy needed to move water to the plants. Let’s all remember that methane and nitrous oxide are part of this too.

[@PleasantPrickles]

Great advice! I do think that walking to your backyard for your produce reduces trucks on the road and planes in the air. I’m glad you recommended steel beds because I just put two big ones in last season. 🌱🌱🌱

[@yellowhouse5592]

Shipping is a surprisingly small fraction of emissions for most goods. Likely the same for most food.

[@luisamartinez4739]

Did they consider all the embodied carbon in the agriculture food? Transportation and measures of the footprint of “imperfect” food rejected by grocery stores that may not always be sold or properly composted?

[@victoriajankowski1197]

It's always a good idea to look over your gardening habits and see if you can improve wastage, if you're replacing raised beds every 2 to 5 years save up for better quality beds, if you're spraying for the same pest/disease every month check your compost system, try rotation, see if there's more effective treatments ect... that said this article seems to me to have preferentially chosen specific types of gardens and presented a catch 22 to many home gardeners, inner city gardens often fail for lack of continued input, so yeah if you put out for raised beds and clean soil for an otherwise toxic lot but let the project die in 5 years the footprint on that will be enormous , but the solution isn't to avoid those projects its to keep them going until that original carbon price is more than paid. The catch 22 is if greenhouses are bad, and shipping in is bad, what are people supposed to do who live where they need a greenhouse to grow the food that ships in? eat local and in season, preserve things are all good ideas for those who can, but there will always be a need to move food around to keep everyone fed (at least under the current economic paradigm )

[@Flintlock1776]

I read this article and immediately ordered 9 more raised beds. I will not be commanded or emotionally blackmailed into depending on others for my food supply. Our tomatoes and peas are not killing the planet.

[@roseannaradmanovich21]

*THANK YOU* for being the only channel I've seen so far that actually read the full article and did a good breakdown of the messaging instead of pointing to the conspiracy theory of "them" trying to force us to rely on grocery stores, GMOs, whatever - I wish there was a love react button!

[@Flintlock1776]

Lol....I read this article and immediately ordered 9 more raised beds and measured for a green house.

[@ceeho]

All life on earth is carbon based

[@imaham1947]

Thanks for your breakdown.

[@GardeningInCanada]

My pleasure!

[@publicdomain1103]

Right from the start i am tweaked. I make my only soil from grass, leaves food waste, weeds and no chemical of fossil fuel content. Compost tea, rain barrels. Great info about tomatoes and asparagus. Have many of those good carbon plants in the ground our about too. thanx from PNW.

[@user-cz5bi7qu2q]

LCA refers to the assessment from beginning to the end of a product, not over time, but over the life of a product, including all inputs, use and disposal.

[@johnjude2685]

I got a 4x7 raise bed, and it's horrible for potatoes might be a little worse than my in ground beds, but not cost efficient does need more water. I'm testing it on peppers this season as some claim buckets are also better for peppers So I'll test. In ground is my favorite 2 seasons. I followed sunflower with tomatoes and that drought last spring in Ohio 6a. The following of the sunflower without tilting did out preform my other methods of raising tomatoes. Sunflower as a cover crop for tomatoes better than in ground raised beds. Most hobbies have equal or worse footprints, and nobody is eating from my garden after snobbing my footprint Thanks

[@GardeningInCanada]

I do like gardening in ground whenever possible

[@wyoodrifter1811]

I had volunteer sunflowers and tomatoes in my garden last year that i let grow. There were three that were adjacent to each other so I tied strings off flowers to support tomatoes and it worked. I also let some parsnips go to seed [second year] and they grew over 6 foot tall and it seeded pretty much most of garden on there own in late summer. Two weeks ago we had -36 F temps and today there is green leaves from young parsnip plants still alive , plants are amazing ! Also my other hobbies involve lot more gasoline than my yearly tilling .

[@nwolinsP]

It seems that you could garden almost carbon neutral. You also could use a ton of fossil fuels.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yes I agree

[@sweatt4237]

Global Warming is a lie, wake up, how do you not know this by now.

[@RemsFamily]

Very well explained. I think I'm worried more about the fact that someone actually made a study on this than the actual results themselves. Also nice to land on another Canadian KZbinr. Especially after searching for a few years without success...

[@amykirby9607]

I agree, I'm 4 hrs north of you. There is zero produce in my grocery store that hasn't traveled from thousands of miles away. I tilled up my hard as a rock clay, adding local manure every year. I try to buy my seeds as local as possible. I have a diy green house made from a used tarp shed frame covered in building Poly... I painted some barrels black that act as a heat sink.... it's just a season extender. So for this minimal investment I pick produce from March until November, avoiding that long distance grocery store produce. Plus , excess fills my freezer and canning jars to nourish us all winter. There's no way my garden has a bigger footprint than buying shipped in produce

[@amisanthropiccurmudgeon8119]

more CO2 per what unit? Does a 10 000 acre farm produce less CO2 than a 10' x 10' home garden?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea according to the study/article it’s 0.07 kg of CO2 per serving of food on a farm. And 0.34 kg of CO2 per serving for home gardens. So 5 ish times higher

[@Mr1Anvil1]

Guaranteed they misrepresent the data and the process of measurement is unrepeatable. Imagine thinking the garden producing "carbon" is bad lol. This "study" was funded by Monsanto et al

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha I wonder. The original journal isn’t lots of mula to read otherwise I’d grab it lol

[@Javaman92]

Yeah, as someone with a science degree I find it interesting how they framed this study. I have to admit I have not yet watched all this video. I wonder if later do they actually frame the question as, which has the bigger footprint DELIVERED to your door?

[@wormulous]

I literally just searched your channel like an hour or 2 ago for this video. I didn't realize i was just a tad early. 😂 what timing

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah oh no sorry!

[@thebandplayedon..6145]

Yeah, no, I am not one bit concerned about home gardeners Carbon output, or "the peoples" Carbon output in any realm for tht matter. Now if we're talking Industy, big Ag, Air Travel... looking at you Private Jet owners... rampant consumerism etc. Yeah, even then, it's pollution, deforestation and the rape & pillaging of the earth at every level imaginable that concerns me.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea I was shocked to hear the CO2 outputs for air fare

[@thebandplayedon..6145]

@@GardeningInCanada oh, I forgot the Cruise Industy... speaking if, the Worlds largest monstrosity- I mean, Cruise Ship sets sail today I believe... nothing to see there I'm sure. 🙄

[@EXTREMERC416]

@@thebandplayedon..6145 lets not forget how quebec is deforesting a place to let a big corporation make a lithium battery factory and give the finger to actual people concerned about the danger and environment problems these kind of batteries emit during their manufacturing. The lithium business is extremely dirty from beginning to end

[@mikemorton954]

A few years ago there was an article saying that homegrown cost more. Their math for this proloaded all the costs (tools, plot rental, infrastructure) and assumed that bought compost was used as the growing medium for everything. I do question if ariticles like this one and the one referred to in this article are done in good faith. These days i buy maybe two or tree bags of conpost a year, all if the rest i make myself. I'm compoting all my waste and that of three other households who otherwise would be puttiggnthier waste into landfill. I also use the streets leaves to make leaf mold, saving the council from collecting and disposing of all that. In comparison, the local supermarkets probably throws away more food each day than i can grow in a year. Whats the CO2 count for that lot?😮

[@DrPrepper72]

I use all the deadfall trees to make my beds and as they rot and add to the soil I add more trees. My soil is fabulous

[@jeanetteschulthe1andOnly]

Thank you for your review.

[@Lochness19]

Yeah, over here in Ontario there's a large and rapidly growing greenhouse industry, especially in the SW of the province. There was always a major cluster in the Leamington area but now there's a spattering of industrial scale hydroponic farms being built throughout Essex, Kent, Elgin, Lambton and MIddlesex counties. Niagara Region too - also I think that's more house & garden plant growers than vegetables for the grocery aisle. Ontario greenhouse space is expected to increase by over 60% over the next 10 years.

[@mhawang8204]

Although it makes sense in our Canadian environment (short growing season, cold climate), an industrial scale hydroponic system must be more CO2 heavy - all the plastic, lighting, heating, pumps, fertilizer, and robots… The infrastructure probably produces more CO2 than growing crops in a yard that used to be a lawn or concrete patio.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I want to say, Alberta also has been gearing up with a lot of greenhouse based produce

[@DanceswithDustBunnies]

I'd love to know where the PhD student got his funding. It's really hard to believe home gardeners are producing more CO2 than BigAg. As for compost and bagged soils, I live in Central Texas, to the west of the Blackland Prairie and the soil is Grade A Crap. Add a layer of contractor's fill and it's hard as rock and about as nutritious. So it's either amend amend amend for several years, or just cut to the chase with raised beds and bagged soil plus compost. There's much less disturbing the beneficial microbes that way, too (as in 'no-dig').

[@Carlie_flower]

Reminds me of all those articles titled things like "why getting chickens is a BAD idea" 🥴

[@bookman2407]

Currently enlarging my veg garden!

[@79PoisonBreaker]

I cut old used 55gal barrels to make huge pots, they are plastic but uv stable and so far seems like it will last longer then me. I wonder how that carbon footprint is calculated by keeping plastic out of landfill, the large pots help me start growing sooner as soil temp change is rapid vs in ground and keep growing later in season by moving near shelter and covering when needed. I'm cheap so I dont think I over fertalize but I do use exess water as pots are thirsty vs in the ground. so I would agree per sqft carbon footprint my garden is worse but the production is much higher per sqft as well. no carbon needed to transport from garden to belly probably the bigest difference IMO

[@HermitFab]

Does the study take the fact that conventional farming uses diesel burning tractors/trucks to harvest. Then the goods are transported by truck/train/air eventually making their way to the supermarket where I have to drive my car to. Compared to my vegetables I harvest by hand and walk 30meters to my kitchen

[@GardeningInCanada]

Great point!

[@charlesbale8376]

My garden is a no-dig food forest and I don't use a drop of fertilizer or pesticides...I use a heavy chop and drop to reduce my footprint and what I grow are primarily the fruits and berries that typically have to be transported from great distances.

[@credenza1]

I am the same, and also manage regenerative ag vineyards. Regardless of the system people are using, those pushing this narrative about "inefficient domestic food production" (ie the WEF) have an ideological opposition to self-reliance, and will no doubt be framing arguments to say how "selfish" home gardeners are, and how "for the greater good" they should desist. We saw a similar campaign a few years ago, stemming from the same impulse to centralized control.

[@oceansoul3694]

Ashley, Mavin of the Mysterious, I have a question FOR YOU! Yesterday I started seeds in my propagation tray, as usual. Sterile germ. mix, and pressed the seeds into the surface of the soil as per the instructions. They are on a heat mat, under lights. This morning there is a beautiful? silver webbing all over the portion of the propagator the "press lightly into the soil-do not cover" seeds are. Is the a good thing? Or is this an alien invasion of doom? Thank you for any and all wisdom you can impart!

[@batzzz2044]

You know they have to outlaw it to force their gmo non-sense. There can't be a clear visual comparissons.

[@GardeningInCanada]

GMOs you could argue have a higher carbon footprint actually. So they can’t use that argument

[@batzzz2044]

@@GardeningInCanada absolutely agree. I just have noticed a real tendancy to gaslight us lately :)

[@tersta1]

Where I am, household organic waste is composted by the county waste management program. Whether I compost my household's kitchen scraps or the country does, the carbon output from the process is the same. So the carbon footprint concern from my compost is a moot issue. I see a huge reduction of plastics and packaging waste and only put out garbage and recycling twice a year, compared to neighbors with bins at the road every week. That's a clear and undeniable reduction in landfill input. Diversion from landfill as a result of bringing in less unrecyclable packaging material reduces household carbon footprints too. I don't have to travel to get produce, so my fuel use carbon output is also reduced. As for raised beds and vertical gardening with rich soil, they output more produce per square foot than nutrient deficient commercial farming practices. More produce from less land also reduces carbon footprint. Having a yard, I would always have some type of plants growing. Ornamental shrubs, flowers, lawns, trees and weeds output the same amount of carbon as food producing plants. So, unless the advice is to pave over lawns and rip out the ornamental shrubs and flowers, growing food plants instead of ornamentals results in the same carbon footprint. So, the claims that composting, raised beds and vegetable gardening have a 5X carbon output, are moot, because the kitchen scraps get composted by the county, if not by the householder, the land used for only ornamental plants output as much carbon as vegetable yielding plants and the richer organic soil in raised beds produce more food per square foot than commercial methods and there is no need to consume fuel to travel for produce shopping. Other benefits of home gardening in raised beds are more nutrient dense produce, avoidance of participation in a system that exploits economically vulnerable migrant agricultural workers, no runoff of nutrients that contaminate ground water, no consumption of endocrine disrupter chemicals from commercial herbicides and pesticides, no need to rely on a vulnerable and unreliable food distribution network, reduced cost of living through avoidance of buying over-prices commercially produced food and no requirement to pay taxes on goods produced at home. I'm going to assume that this faulty research report is a result of a measurable increase in home gardening, food sovereignty and self-sufficiency. And that's great news!

[@mikecanada9675]

I listen to mainstream news and usually assume the opposite is true.

[@ROlson-dx2jc]

They don't want people to be self sufficient. Ridiculous article, people have grown food on small plots for tens of thousands of years.

[@snowfall7557]

right!

[@timan2039]

If more people grew veggies, fruit etc. I think that would change this analysis.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s a pretty good observation actually maybe it is just a lack of numbers involved. Which makes the equipment and infrastructure more carbon intensive in a garden setting.

[@bearupfarm1818]

Planting raised bed using worm castings and verma compost to build your soil is good I was told. Reading articles on carbon footprint reduction was having more forest and plant to reduce bare ground. It also said gardening helps.

[@jkmcdonnell1]

if you ever drive the #1 highway from the Sask border to Winnipeg look in the ditch between the highway . It is loaded with asparagus . it grows wild all over the southern part of the province

[@JenniferGermain-rb2xg]

keep in mind the carbon footprint for transportation, 0 when it is in your backyard.

[@GardeningInCanada]

They did factor this into the CO2 per serving for the conventional produce

[@GeographyGeek]

If you are saving seeds from last year's harvest or growing perennials.

[@annaalsanska4623]

It would be meaningful to read the source article, to understand in details how the research was conducted and what do the results really show. I've read it. It is available online. I have a feeling that authors didn't really want to spread that message that media is sharing now. Also I see so much limitations and overcomplicated data collecting approach, including interviewing farming that may have lead to wildly wrong data. And they analysed only 73 farms/gardens in multiple countries that is clearly not enough to be a valid sample to represent the whole picture. I would not call it a research, it is more like observation that triggers the need for real researches, with good methodology for data gathering and definitely with much higher number of farms/gardens to even speak about any statistical validity of data.

[@osmia]

You are the only one I've seen commenting here that says they've actually read the source article. Do you have any more insights from it?

[@teaartist6455]

@@osmia If you're still interested. It strongly reads like something I'd throw together very quickly after several all nighters to have something to show because I spent way too much time getting distracted by other stuff to actually write the thing and have no energy, concentration or brain power left to actually analyze what data I have thoroughly. Which is to say, there are some points that I think absolutely should get people thinking about HOW they are gardening (mainly concern about high infrastructure costs), but it's also extremely sloppy and seems to pick examples very willy nilly, isn't structured well (putting methodology, insofar as they have it, into the Conclusion? I'm sorry what?) and stays pretty vague throughout. And by vague I mean, it only names examples for "infrastructure costs" instead of analyzing what this typically entails, does not actually give detail about irrigation pretty much at all, does not analyze much which plants have what carbon imprint in what farming technique, is kind of arbitrary in what they count at times like not counting the way to the grocery store when that should probably be factored in as it does become relevant when some gardens are next to people's homes (IE: not needing a long way to get to). The biggest thing that jumped out is the 25% of gardens that were lower in carbon emissions than traditional agriculture, but this difference didn't really get analyzed when it should be a big thing to focus on and try to get to the bottom of. (Overall there also aren't enough datapoints to call this more than a pilot study.) As someone who is not yet an actual scientist but who does read studies semi-frequently, this does not read like a well structured study that carefully considers the implications of its findings in the slightest. It ALSO does not read like some conspiracy bullshit that "they" (I fucking know it's antisemitism; people aren't hiding shit withtheir goddamn dogwhistles) put out to discourage people from gardening. It reads like a very quickly written paper by overtired students that looked clickbaity enough to get gobbled up and further twisted by a tabloid and, for the most part, should be treated as such in terms of how indicative it is of your average garden (with the small footnote of "Thinking a bit more long term about infrastructure and investments is a thing we should absolutely do" because it does seem that that is a potential major downfall insofar as conclusions can be drawn).

[@osmia]

@@teaartist6455 yeah, I am still interested. Thanks for taking the time to put together that nuanced reply!

[@bonnieparker1238]

I am mostly concerned with nutritional value coupled with the ease or feasibility of gardening at all. I would like to see an article based on Nutrition in the same type of study. Thank you for buying the article and reporting to us. Interesting.

[@robertomaldonado7397]

How about “don’t let your life be dictated by your carbon footprint” this sounds like a good way to live

[@WYO_Dirtbag]

The article came out during the little annual WEF conference. A bit suspect. They want us to own nothing and be happy. They want us to be helpless. I nearly have my 10'x20' mostly passive cold weather greenhouse complete. Over it's life and everything that I can grow in it compared to needing my produce trucked in from California or Mexico or S. America. Let alone the vast amount of plastic packaging that goes into commercial produce. I wonder if the study took into consideration the vast VAST amount of plastics used for packaging? No thank you. I would die before I give up gardening or my chickens. I like knowing where my food comes from as much as possible. I like when I can hve a salad and not have some plastic bag I have to put in the landfill. My raised bed portion of the garden were made from reclaimed wood and sheet metal that came from a old shed I tore down when I bought the property. Initially got dairy manure. Now I can use alot of my manure from my chickens and ducks.

[@stevewolf2886]

This sounds like the base to charge gardeners a carbon tax. I grow organically as much as I can, taking fall leaves from the area reusing carbons that the city produces. Maybe I should charge them a Tax for lowering the governments carbon. But then they would find a way to step around that like all governments do. I don't agree with most of this, as people drive and fly food in that leaves a huge footprint due to the production of all the gas and burning of gas like fuels. I live in a big city and grow as much food as i can in my backyard to feed my family, like all people should do to off set the price of food now a days.wish more people would use the little land they have to produce something.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Don’t speak those words now you got me worried that might happen

[@ceeho]

We should get carbon credits😂 Seriously what is the world coming too.

[@catherineincanada1874]

honestly that's my conclusion as well, charging (or worse) home gardeners. Considering all the other insane legislation, like actually taxing farmers for cow burps & farts? To my mind this article merely another in long line of psychotic gas-lighting, esp in light of private jets lined up in Davos, busy hooker capital of Europe.

[@kraziecatclady]

When I lived in military housing, they didn't allow in ground gardens, but they did allow raised beds. I took a large wooden box from work that was just going to be discarded and put it in my backyard to use for a raised garden. I'd imagine reusing material that was going to be thrown away is better than building stuff from materials bought at the store. Of course, I did have to buy dirt to fill my box, but at least I didn't buy the box as well. It lasted me 3 years, and I wish I could have taken it with me when I moved, but I couldn't. It was a great garden box and served me quite well while I had it. Now I'm retired and bought 5 acres. Whatever I put here should last me much longer, not to mention all the stuff that was already on the property when I moved in. I'm putting in a ton of work, but to be fair, I have bought a lot of landscaping timbers and other items for my various projects.

[@hannahfitch8977]

I have spent years digging up pure clay and growing my garden in ground. I feel better about being poor and not being able to afford raised beds now. Make my own greenhouse using the winter sowing method with recycled milk containers.

[@sparkysoutdoors6240]

It’s disheartening when watching KZbin videos because the host or educators have to walk on pins and needles when talking about co2. Sunlight, watering, n-p-k, micronutrients, soil biology microorganisms is a very popular topic right now. In the north we have greenhouses and everyone who owns one knows how important co2 levels are and what range is best or at the very least they know that ventilating often is necessary. I’m not picking on you by any means I think you are an excellent source for information! This topic is just overdone and far to politically biased to be trustworthy.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I just don’t have the energy right now to monitor the comments too much. And I know sometimes if I pick aside or am incredibly blunt about things, the comment section gets very nasty very quick.

[@EXTREMERC416]

To me this is all irrelevant. Why? As long as our world leaders fly in private jets to get to climate meetings on how we are bad for the planet whatever they say or their pundits/journalist say is meaningless. Growing higher quality food costs more energy. I feel like the study is missing a key component... we do not ship our grown food with trucks and planes to another country or use heavy machinery. Im sure a tomato imported from the United states cost more in Co2 than a home grown tomato. This study/article has just one goal. Demonize gardeners for actually doing something good for the planet and nature in general. I watch politics daily and this is just a hit piece against gardeners nothing more. But its never good enough for these people they want them to tell you what to do. Do not grow ur food. Let us grow it in a lab in a carbon neutral environment.....lab meat