In the pathway: Adapting your garden to a changing climate
Adapting to climate change
Six concrete levers to withstand drought, heatwave and excess water.
Introduction
The climate is changing faster than our practices. Permaculture gardeners have effective levers to adapt: living soils, varietal diversity, layering, water management and the choice of tolerant species.
Background
Extreme events (heatwaves, droughts, storms) are multiplying. A resilient garden is not a perfect garden: it is a garden that takes the hit, restarts fast, and provides despite the ups and downs.
Who this guide is for
Any gardener facing their region's changing climate (almost everywhere in mainland France).
Why it matters
Reduces harvest losses in difficult years. Maintains fertility despite water stress. Creates more temperate microclimates. Lets you space out watering.
What to understand before starting
- Know your local climate (30-year Météo France records, regional IPCC projections).
- Soil at least partly alive (organic matter > 2 %).
- The ability to diversify seeds and plantings.
Detailed steps
- Step 1
Mulch permanently
5 to 10 cm of straw or RCW on all bare soil; fresh grass clippings in thin layers left to dry, because in a thick layer they mat. Keeps the soil cool, limits evaporation, shelters the microfauna.
- Step 2
Diversify the varieties
Several varieties per species, including at least one old or local one. If a season disfavours one variety, the others make up for it. Example: 4 tomato varieties with different habits and resistances.
- Step 3
Layer the crops
Trees and shrubs layered above herbaceous plants and ground cover shade the soil and slow the wind: the soil stays cooler and moister in summer. This is the logic of the forest garden.
- Step 4
Plant windbreak hedges
Multi-layer hedges on the exposed orientations: north for cold wind, south-west for dry wind. In the lee of a hedge, the wind drops: the soil and plants lose less water (Brandle et al., University of Nebraska).
- Step 5
Store water
Pond, tanks, swales (see the water-management guide). They keep a reserve for dry spells; how long it lasts depends on the volume stored and the area to water.
- Step 6
Enrich with organic matter
Organic matter improves soil structure; its direct effect on water storage is modest: about 1 litre more available water per 100 litres of soil for one extra point of organic carbon, a little more in sandy soil (Minasny and McBratney, 2018). Compost, mulch, green manures continuously.
- Step 7
Select tolerant species
Fig, pomegranate, almond, jujube, persimmon, loquat, pawpaw, goosefoot, amaranth, yacón, tree onion. Robust in a changing climate.
Concrete examples
- A southern garden (drought): almond + pomegranate + fig + thyme/lavender borders + 15 cm mulch + a 3000 L tank.
- A northern garden (excess water): draining mounds + sponge hedges + crops on raised beds + blight-resistant varieties.
- A temperate garden: 4 tomato varieties, permanent mulch, a 10 m swale, a 3 m² pond.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Relying on 1 single miracle variety: one mishap and all is lost.
- Bare soil in a heatwave: it heats up and dries out at the surface, and soil life suffers.
- Watering a little every day: shallow roots, fragile plants.
- Pruning the hedges in spring during a heatwave: massive stress.
Tips & best practices
- Put in 1 fig, 1 pomegranate, 1 almond today: 5-10 years to produce.
- Try 1 or 2 new tolerant varieties each year: your local catalogue of tomorrow.
- Raise some beds in case of frequent storms (fast drainage).
Frequently asked questions
- Should I abandon the classic varieties?
- No, keep them but alongside hardy varieties. Diversity is the insurance.
- What is the absolute priority?
- Permanent mulch. The simplest act, the fastest return.
- My trees are visibly suffering, what to do?
- Water deeply once a week (50 L at the base), mulch thick, do not prune in summer.
Key takeaways
- 6 levers: mulch, diversity, layering, windbreak, water, organic matter.
- Diversify > optimise: resilience comes from multiple choice.
- Organic matter helps soil structure first, water storage much less.
Sources
- Minasny, B. & McBratney, A.B. (2018). Limited effect of organic matter on soil available water capacity. European Journal of Soil Science, 69(1), 39-47.
- Allen, R.G., Pereira, L.S., Raes, D. & Smith, M. (1998). Crop evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56. Rome : FAO.
- Brandle, J.R., Hodges, L. & Zhou, X.H. (2004). Windbreaks in North American agricultural systems. Agroforestry Systems, 61, 65-78.
- RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) : Mulches and mulching (rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/mulch)
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach : Using Mulch in the Garden (yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/using-mulch-garden)
- Colorado State University Extension (Whiting D., O'Meara C. & Wilson C.) : Mulches for the Vegetable Garden (extension.colostate.edu/resource/mulches-for-the-vegetable-garden/)