How Doing Less Yard Work Saves the Planet - Part 2

Doing Less Yard Work to Regenerate Your Backyard. A guest post by Jessi Roesch.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, I shared my personal context: A cultural expectation of a green, grassy space, torn down by the toil of trying to make a Midwest lawn happen in a place with less than half the precipitation.

Context is one of six principles of soil health, foundational to regenerative agriculture, a movement that hopes to improve ecosystems, grow biodiversity and put more profit in farmers pockets by spending less. The six principles are:

1. Minimize disturbance

2. Keep the soil covered

3. Increase diversity of plants and insects

4. Keep a living root in the soil

5. Integrate animals

6. Context

With an attitude of experimentation (and let’s be honest, the incentive to do less work and spend less money), I began applying these principles to my own backyard around 2021, after life-changing encounters with extreme weather and a regenerative ranch in the same crazy spring. You can read about that wild experience here.

Here’s what we did (or rather didn’t do from 2021 to 2024) along the way:

1. Minimize disturbance: For us, this step meant mowing a lot less, letting our grass grow up long enough to germinate. This meant we made seeds from plants we already had, not from plastic bags at big box stores. GRASS SEED! FOR FREE! We (read: my husband) spread the grass trimmings over bare ground to place seed and achieve the second principle of soil health…

2. Keep the soil covered: This one was the toughest, especially at first. Even though we had plenty of bare ground, the urge to pull a weed is strong. Leaving a weed in the ground feels like leaving a scab unpicked or a pimple unpopped.

   Embracing the messiness of biodiversity and the natural cycles of ecosystems has been liberating. After all, our idea of a perfect lawn is often shaped by societal norms rather than ecological realities. See more about the history of lawns in Part 1.

3. Increase diversity of plants and insects: My friend Alejandro Carrillo taught me about the connection of soil health to insect populations using brix content as a metric. Brix is a measure of dissolved solids, commonly sugar content, which can be measured in soil. Early in our journey, bushes and trees in our yard had markers of aphids, an infestation that made it inside to my houseplants. Armed with patience, soil health principles, and biodegradable dish soap (IYKYK), we now have no aphids, less mosquitos and more grasshoppers. The grasshoppers the last year were even larger than the prior year, meaning our yard has sufficient resources to support larger herbivores.

   One unexpected benefit of this journey has been how it sharpened my observational skills. Before, I hardly noticed the bugs, plants, or subtle changes in my lawn, except when they were “in the way” of achieving a picture-perfect green space. Now, I'm engaged daily, noting new types of bees, insects, and plants that appear, often without any intervention on my part.

4. Keep a living root in the soil: Alejandro also shares stories of his ranch’s transformation from bare ground to weeds to annuals and perennials over a decade of transition to regenerative principles in a harsh environment with less than 10 inches of annual rainfall. He has a keen eye to observe creatures large and small on his land, from birds and butterflies to diverse desert plant species.

   As you keep the soil covered with plants, their roots penetrate to soil to feed everything underneath, break down compaction and let more air and water filter the soil. Grass clippings, fallen leaves, and plant life (yes, even weeds) keep the soil cooler before the bare ground is restored. Eventually the weeds cover the bare ground, the annuals crowd out the weeds and the perennials have a place to thrive.

   It’s like trying to eat a healthier diet by still eating all the garbage food you want, but making sure you add a fistful of vegetables at each meal. Eventually, the good stuff crowds out the rest.

5. Integrate animals: Our two dogs were already well integrated into our backyard. We scoop their poop less, and because the grasses are thick, we know insects feed on the feces. I can’t say I haven’t Googled how to acquire native dung beetles, whose presence can pull dung and its nutrients deeper into the soil. My friend Andie Marsh, a soil scientist and communicator writing on Substack as Soil is Sexy, said it wasn’t the worst idea she’s ever heard. If you’ve got a beetle guy, hit me up.

   In the meantime, the improved presence of plants and insects has attracted local wildlife to our yard with increased frequency: Squirrels, more varieties of birds, possums, skunks and racoons. Our dogs keep any creatures from making permanent settlements, but they are welcome visitors. If you say you value life, you have to value all of it, even what was previously pegged as a pest. Plus, the Midwesterner in me loves to yell the names of animals when I see them.

   This increase in species is an example of a trophic cascade: A phenomenon where a change in parts of the ecosystem leads to an increase or decline of various organisms. In our case, a bottoms-up trophic cascade unfolded when we increased soil microorganisms, allowing plants to stay put, and inviting more herbivores to feed on the bounty.

Source: Wikipedia

6. Context: Fast forward three years, our lawn has a thick coating of different grasses, fallen leaves, wildflowers, and flowering plants, even after a record-dry fall in our area. We’ve applied these principles as haphazard experiments and in avoidance of chores, but the results have been strong: New plants where there were none, new insects and more than anything, an excuse to observe and participate with nature close to home.

   The transformation of my backyard has been a lesson in patience, observation, and the joy of letting nature take the lead. It's taught me to appreciate the beauty in chaos and to find satisfaction in the small, incremental changes.

For anyone considering a similar path, my advice is to embrace the process, enjoy the surprises, and remember that every small effort contributes to a larger shift towards sustainability. My backyard is now a thriving example of how regenerative practices can transform not just the land but also our relationship with the environment around us.

Getting started in regenerating your backyard isn’t about perfection, it’s about experimentation and observation. What is your context? How can you look more closely? What will you see?

About Me

Jessi Roesch (rhymes with “fresh”) is the founder of Downland, a marketplace that helps landowners protect their legacy and get an aspiring farmer on their land when the kids don’t want it. Insiders can get in on the ground floor of Downland's mission by making an early investment through Wefunder for as little as $100. Learn more here.