The Sparrow Underground
Growing Resilience Right Where You Are
"In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now."
-Wangari Maathai
Gardens matter. There is enormous untapped potential in a garden: from growing food to building and remediating degraded soils to filtering and capturing water to creating habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects or adding resilience to your watershed, neighborhood and region. Gardens offer an incredible opportunity to make a difference starting right where you are.
I started this website and community with a question: what would it look to create a connected and resilient community of gardeners, naturalists, soil builders and foragers that supports each other in realizing this incredible potential of resilience in our own backyards and landscape? What strategic support, resources, and strategies could we use to grow resilience one garden at a time?
This website strives to provide resources and ways to do just that!
NEW Winter Propagation Course!
Once you know their tricks, native wildflowers (like milkweed!), fruit and nut trees (like pawpaws and oaks!) and edible shrubs (like American elderberry and black raspberry!) become easy to propagate, and winter is the perfect time to do it!
Join me to learn 3 specific techniques for growing in winter and how to strategically increase biodiversity in our neighborhoods in as little as 1x1 square feet of space right in your own backyard (or windowsill or porch!).
What does it take to build back resilient, thriving and regenerative landscapes and communities?
Get a FREE copy of 31 Stories of Ecosystem Restoration
Want to be INSPIRED? Tired of being overwhelmed? There is a lot of despair, anxiety and fear in the world right now - so much so that most people would never guess that there are also incredible stories of rejuvenation, regeneration and flourishing happening all around us RIGHT NOW! Over the years I've immersed myself in this world of regenerators (it took me a long time to find them! and even longer to realize they were all around me!) and I wanted to pull together some of my favorite stories in this FREE .pdf resource. As you read them, just know that these are only a few of thousands of stories out there! These stories give us so much by giving us a glimpse of what is possible... even in our own backyards!
Get your copy here!
Join the Community within The Sparrow Underground
Want to be part of an online community of gardeners, naturalists, foragers and soil builders growing resilience right where we are in our own backyards? Learn techniques to build soil, grow plants that sing (as my son likes to say!), and maximize abundance and thriving right where we are. Join us at The Community to get tips, tools, and support throughout the year to grow resilience starting right in your backyard!
We host a "Welcome Night" at the beginning of each season! Consider joining us for the Fall Foraging Challenge this season which includes some in-person foraging walks for those in the Philadelphia, PA area!
Check out my NEW 2024 Monthly Planner!
Tap into the resilience of the natural world around you as you stay organized throughout the year with this 2024 monthly planner featuring watercolor artwork of plants, birds, bugs, woodlands and gardens. For naturalists, foragers, gardeners, earth repairers and soil builders, this planner is a perfect way to dive deeper into what is possible this upcoming year. With a month-by-month calendar as well as room to plan, review and reflect on your intentions and habits each month, this planner is also filled with beautiful artwork to inspire you with the incredible resilience all around - even in your own backyard!
It's currently available here but a limited # will also soon be available from me directly if you happen to live nearby me in Philadelphia area)!
Soil Building Course Online
Have you ever wanted to be a more amazing gardener? Or have gardening be more effortless and fun! Understanding your soil is key to getting there!
This 8-week course gives you the principles and simple techniques to measure success in your own backyard or garden with a core lesson each week and a weekly action to put learnings into practice. Gain confidence starting in your own backyard. Grow resilience by growing soil starting right where you are!
Or consider joining the The Community to get full access to this course and others!
Gardening with Allison Youtube Channel
If you are interested in watching videos on ways to garden, build resilience in your backyard and community, engage with wild foods, and grow AWESOME plants, check out my youtube channel: Gardening with Allison.
What can you do to grow resilience right where you are? Gather practical tips on growing soil, restoring water cycles, fostering abundance and biodiversity right where you are, and tap into a community of people working to imagine what is truly possible if we set an intention to our best possible future. Don't want to miss the latest blog? Get the latest update in your inbox by signing up for my email list here!
View all previous blog posts here!
February 20th, 2024
We have an opportunity to strategically PLANT and INCREASE the size of our "buffet tables" with strategic plants native to our region. Even the relatively SMALL spaces can help grow back that bounty and even DRAMATICALLY INCREASE biodiversity! AND we can do it in a way that uses fewer resources and looks beautiful, too! One way to do this is with staggered blooms. Learn what native flowers can add the most to your backyard meadow, border or landscape.
Check out the rest of the blog here!