By Mary Gifford
Now that we are through the winter season, we may not have our hands directly in the soil, but our minds are focused on plants, gardens, lessons learned and new techniques to try. A question I have wondered about for some time is: Can large-scale regenerative agricultural practices be applied to smaller-scale home gardens?
After spending some time at the Cheyenne-Arapaho Park (CAP) garden in Denver, I discovered that these practices are being employed at one of the Colorado Master Gardener plots within this Denver Urban Garden.
The garden is a tidy collection of rectangular plots tended by co-team leads Elaine Davis and Jessica Asimus and three Colorado master gardeners. Dubbed the “Neighborhood Garden,” it’s full of plants from the Middle East, Korea and Africa. The summer of 2025 boasted Daikon radishes, Aswad eggplant from Iraq, Yardlong beans from China, Korean Agastache (tea herb), gochichang peppers, Ethiopian kale, lemongrass and marjoram.
One of these plots has been an experimental area for regenerative garden techniques for the last two years, and the results have been encouraging.
According to , there are five main principles of regenerative agriculture. Four of these principles are being implemented in the plot and managed by Davis.
1. Minimizing soil disturbance is practiced in the springtime to loosen the soil by using a garden fork and sliding it into the soil at about a 30-degree angle, lifting up to just barely crack the soil. Then the fork is slid back out. Then compost and prepared alfalfa pellets are placed on top of the soil. Alfalfa pellets are prepared the day before by soaking in water, sugar and compost to stimulate microbial activity. These applications are gently chopped into the first inch of soil. No other soil disturbance is made for the remainder of the season. Low till or no till is critical for many reasons, including to retain soil moisture, to prevent weed seeds from getting to the surface and germinating, to preserve soil microbes, and to preserve soil invertebrates such as earthworms, beetles and others. Gardeners should also make sure not to step on soil where plants are growing to avoid soil compaction.
2. Maximizing soil cover can be achieved by adding grass clippings or clean straw to open areas of soil. As with minimizing soil disturbance, this, too, helps tremendously with controlling erosion, increasing the carbon content of soil and conserving moisture. Clean straw can be used all year round for soil cover. Additionally, vegetable crops are planted in block style so plants shade each other and the surrounding soil.
3. Maximizing living roots in the soil refers to having live plants growing throughout the entire year. This is accomplished by planting fall/winter cover crops after the main season crops. Researchers have found this principle to be the most significant for creating healthy and resilient soil. It reduces erosion, increases soil organic matter, increases biological variety, increases the nitrogen supply and provides natural weed control. When a crop such as lettuce is done producing, it is cut at ground level so the roots stay in the ground, helping feed soil microbes. The subsequent crop is planted around the existing root systems.
Cover crops in the Mountain West, planted in the fall, can be winter rye and hairy vetch. Another option is an oat, radish and pea combination. Plant this combination in late summer/early fall. The oats will die off slowly after a series of hard freezes. The remaining plant residue will prevent erosion, suppress weeds and add more carbon to the soil. In the springtime, simply push aside the dead plants and sow your seeds in the ground.
4. Maximizing diversity of plants is achieved by planting different vegetables or crops in different parts of the garden year after year. It is also achieved by planting a variety of vegetables throughout the growing season. For example, when spring greens are done, peas, beans or radishes may then be planted in the same spot for the next month or two of the growing season. Different plant roots will encourage the growth of different soil bacteria, enriching the soil.
5. Where possible, incorporating livestock in the garden. This can be chickens, goats or sheep. Poultry help with weed and pest management and help fertilize the garden. Because the CAP garden does not allow for the use of livestock, gardeners apply alfalfa meal to the soil once per season as fertilizer to mimic the effect of livestock.
Once these principles are applied to a garden, it is useful to have a scientific measure to determine if indeed the soil has become healthier. Healthier soil means healthier, more nutrient-dense vegetables that can easily fight off diseases and pests. Further conversations with master gardeners tending the CAP garden plot revealed some positive changes in the soil’s health, particularly in terms of microbial activity.
The soil was analyzed at Ward Laboratories in early 2024 and again in late 2025. In a mere 18 months, lab tests showed a dramatic increase in microbial life. Why is more microbial life better? The answer lies in the job the microbes perform. They are breaking down organic matter in the soil, and therefore make significant amounts of nutrients available to the garden plants.
The utilization of regenerative practices at the CAP Master Gardener plot for just two seasons has proven to be quite successful thus far. Allowing soil microbes to flourish by keeping soil and roots in place and maintaining soil moisture provides a huge boost to plant health and naturally prevents most weeds from appearing. The 2025 harvest from this 93-square-foot plot has been impressive indeed.
One source of inspiration and information on regenerative farming/gardening was the 2020 documentary “.” The film showed examples of farms with poor soil. Once farmers applied regenerative practices, they witnessed rapid and dramatic improvements in soil fertility.
Another source of inspiration was the book “What Your Food Ate,” by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé. It describes how soil in the United States has been damaged by overplanting, lack of crop rotation and other practices. It then explains scientific studies that show the effects of regenerative agriculture. When farmers implemented regenerative techniques, the yield was more abundant, and the soil was full of microbial life.
As demonstrated by the Cheyenne-Arapaho Master Gardener plot, regenerative techniques can be applied to a home or community garden with positive results. Letap see how many more gardens we can apply these principles to for a bountiful garden harvest in 2026.
Mary Gifford is a Colorado master gardener.
