Cultivating Abundance for People, Plants and Wildlife
Cultivating Abundance for People, Plants and Wildlife
Do you want to bring nature to your backyard?
Would you like to forage berries and wild vegetables amongst songbirds, dragonflies, and other wildlife—without having to leave home?
Hi, I’m Daron—restoration ecologist, lifelong gardener, and founder of Growing with Nature.
Growing with Nature is all about bringing the wild back, and cultivating abundance for people, plants and wildlife.
A lot of people get depressed when they think about the environmental challenges we’re up against. Habitat loss, climate breakdown, the insect apocalypse—there’s a lot to be upset about.
But I’m hopeful.
Because I see nature's capacity for regeneration every day
I work in environmental restoration for my day job, helping to heal degraded landscapes most people have given up on, and transforming them into thriving living systems.
Over the past few years, I’ve been doing the same thing on our own property outside Olympia, WA, in the US Pacific Northwest, converting invasive blackberries and pasture grass into a wellspring of abundance for people, plants and wildlife.
You can make the living world around you come alive—from the soil to the sky.
My wife, Michaela, and I started Growing with Nature to give you the tools you need to help heal our living world and cultivate abundance for people, plants, and wildlife.
It’s amazing, but when you begin supporting plants and wildlife, you’re also creating the perfect conditions to grow food—without any need for toxic chemicals.
Healthy, living soil gives your plants the nutrients they need, while beneficial wildlife helps keep garden pests in balance.
People, plants and wildlife can thrive together in abundance.
Too often we're told the best thing we can do for nature is to leave it alone.
But people are a part of nature. We always have been.
The truth is, there’s no such thing as “pristine wilderness.”
Long before white settlers came to the Americas, (or anywhere else, for that matter,) indigenous peoples had been transforming their landscapes in ways that sustained abundant plant and animal life while also providing food for people.
And as long as people need food to eat, clothes to wear, and homes to live in, humans will continue to shape our landscapes—for better or worse.
Humanity is, quite literally, a force of nature. We can drive catastrophic destruction or transformative regeneration.
The choice is ours.
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So How Do You Make Our Living World Come Alive? - 5 Pathways to Abundance
Nature is complex. A vibrant living system is full of multitudes of life forms, each acting and interacting in ways that can sustain extraordinary abundance.
But how do you set it in motion?
It may seem abstract. But there are concrete steps you can take to make the living world around you come alive with abundance—even in your own backyard.
We’ve mapped out 5 Pathways to Abundance to help you revitalize the living world around you. Inspired by restoration ecology, permaculture, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, these are 5 paths of actionable steps you can take to begin transforming your little corner of the world into a wellspring of abundance for people, plants & wildlife.
These interlocking pathways are all part of the same journey. Each one works in concert with the others to help make the living world around you come alive.
If you want to grow food, enjoy wildlife, and heal the living world that sustains us, these 5 pathways will help you get there.
Growing Perennial Foods
When you plant perennial foods, whether it’s fruit trees, berries or vegetables, you’re making an investment that will support you for years to come. You’ll get yearly harvests without having to replant each year. Plus, these great plants will help you build soil and keep pests in balance. Ready to start growing perennial foods? Learn more.
Working with Native Plants
Birds, butterflies, native bees, and many other critters all depend on native plants. Planting native plants connects your land to the surrounding landscape and the wildlife that live there. Plus, many native plants are edible! Native plants can provide you with yearly harvests and attract the predators that will keep garden pests in balance. Ready to work with native plants? Get started.
Building Healthy Soil
Healthy, rich soil is the foundation of a vibrant living system. You simply can’t cultivate abundance for people, plants or wildlife without it. Healthy soil retains moisture, provides plants with the nutrients they need, and supports all the life that calls your property home, including you. Ready to build healthy soil? Get started.
Working with Wildlife
You’re not the only one that calls your property home. When you work with wildlife, you can achieve a balance with nature where predators keep pests in check. In turn, you not only enjoy abundant harvests, but also the satisfaction of being part of a vibrant community of life. Even if you live on a small urban lot, it’s amazing how quickly birds, pollinators, and other critters will start showing up once you create the space for them. Ready to start working with wildlife? Learn more.
Working with Your Land
Your land has its own character that is defined by the features on it. You may have low, wet areas or sunny, hot, rocky places. By working with your land, you can use these areas to create more abundance instead of trying to force your land to be something that it’s not. This will save you time and energy—and lots of frustration! Best yet, you’ll get to enjoy the life that’s best suited to your own unique place. Ready to start working with your land? Learn more.
Listen to the Growing with Nature Podcast
Welcome to the Growing with Nature Podcast. Join me on a journey to learn concrete steps you can take at home to support wildlife, grow incredible, delicious food, and help heal our living world. Right in your own back yard.
Ready to get started? Grab a shovel and roll up your sleeves. Let’s make the living world around you come alive.