Garden Evaluation
MEASURE: CARBON FOOTPRINT and SOIL HEALTH
This page has a lot of content. To help you navigate, here's a brief overview of the methods for measuring CARBON FOOTPRINT and SOIL HEALTH--click on one of the listed methods to jump to a section:
Method 1: Measure Reduced Food Waste
Method 2: Reduced Food Miles
Method 3: No till/Reduced till
Method 4: Cover Cropping
Method 5: Decreased Synthetic Inputs
Method 6: Visual Observation of Healthier Soil
Method 1: Measure Reduced Food Waste
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If your garden composts, weigh all food scraps that were diverted from a landfill and converted to compost. This can get messy! Use the Land Waste Diversion log below to track.
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Wonder how this improves the environment? Take the weight you just measured to estimate how much CO2 this saves the atmosphere. Every 1 ton of material composted equals about 1.5 tons of CO2 saved, or about 5.05 cars taken off the road. This is a great STEM activity for youth!
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Another way to measure compost is by VOLUME. This can easily be done if you use a compost bin with known volume (like a 3 ft x 3ft x 3 ft bin), or if you put finished compost in something like a 32 gallon pail.
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Lastly, you could measure the volume of compost actually used to amend the soil. Use the Compost Log below to track.
Recovered food from the F.A.R.M Full Circle program
i.e. 30 miles total vs 1500 miles!
Method 2: Reduced Food Miles
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Track the total distance traveled from garden to distribution site. Compare to the average distance for produce nationwide (~1500 miles).
Method 3: No till and Reduced-till
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# square feet of garden beds under no-till production (includes raised/boxed beds). If transitioning to no-till production, keep in mind that the transition will take some time.
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# square feet of garden under reduced till or conservation till (if you aren't plowing, you are probably practicing conservation till).
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You can record tillage on the downloadable Garden Management Spreadsheet.
Method 4: Cover Cropping
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# sq ft of cover crop applied. Record the type of cover crop applied, and note any productivity differences over time.
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This can be recorded in the downloadable Garden Management Spreadsheet.
According to Farmers.gov, "No-till farmers grow crops with minimal disturbance to their fields and the organisms that call them home. This builds healthier soils while reducing money spent on fuel and labor – a win-win."
Learn more about this strategy here: https://bit.ly/3lgBgl0
Download this form to track EVERYTHING garden-related in one place!
Method 5: Decreased synthetic inputs
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Log use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers, including dimensions of the AREA treated. Note whether the input was synthetic (like RoundUp, Eraser, etc.) or organic (like compost, blood meal, etc.)
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Track whether use of synthetic chemicals decreases over time and how much.
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This can be recorded in the Garden Management Spreadsheet, also linked to the button above.
Method 6: Visual observation of healthier soil (GREAT STEM ACTIVITY)
Cover cropping and reduced till, among other methods, are great ways to boost the organic matter in the soil and improve soil health. Fortunately, many physical and biological indicators of soil health can be observed with the naked eye, no expensive lab testing required. Visit the link below for a more detailed explanation of how to visually determine the health of your soil. A downloadable scorecard is available below (Content provided by the Agricultural Document Library; © University of Hertfordshire, 2011)