Apply organic mulch or cover crops plowed under as green manure

Case Study

SWA Group’s Edible Landscape Garden at the Dallas Arboretum is modeled after a potager, or kitchen garden, to educate visitors about growing food. Pecan shell mulch is used across the arboretum to moderate soil temperature, retain moisture, and suppress weeds. It is also used in the edible beds which has the extra benefit of reducing the exposure that soil microorganisms have to excess oxygen and sunlight, which accelerates the loss of stored carbon in the soil to the atmosphere, a problem in frequently disturbed agricultural soils.