As we enter the fall season, I see several articles on sustainable gardening. While I have my own idea of sustainable gardening, I decided to further explore the meaning and practices. If you are reading this post, I assume you also wonder about the topic of sustainable gardening.
First, what is sustainable gardening? Sustainable gardening refers to the ability to carry on gardening with minimal impact on the environment. Second, why is it important? Sustainable gardening is important because it reduces polluntion, creates biodiversity, supports wildlife and conserves limited resources.
The great thing about sustainable gardening practices is that each of us can implement these practices immediately. Further, these practices can have a big impact on sustaining our environment.
Here are six sustainable gardening practices.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
01 Enhancement of wildlife habitat
Fall is a time when many of us tidy up our garden. Why? Well, I tidy up so that I have less to do in spring. There seems to be so much to do in spring, that it makes sense to clean up in fall. Right?
That’s where the recent articles on sustainable gardening come in. Sustainable practices propose approaching fall clean-up from the perspective of bugs and birds. Pollinators such as butterflies, moths, hoverflies, bees, and ladybugs (to name a few) depend upon plants and debris left in the garden for their survival in winter. These plants provide a source of food and a safe place to overwinter. Therefore, give consideration to leaving some annual flowers in the ground and not cutting back a few perennials.
By having this safe space to overwinter, pollinators will emerge in spring ready to do their jobs.
02 Energy Usage
I’m sure you have heard about climate change and the impact that our energy usage has on negatively impacting climate change. Well, here are a few things you can do to reduce energy usage and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- When it comes time to replace your garden power equipment (mowers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers) consider changing to a rechargeable electric-powered one instead of gas.
- Consider your use of fertilizers. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Get your soil tested before applying. The soil test will provide the pH of the soil and indicate any amendments needed. Contact your County Extension Office for help in obtaining a soil test. The USDA’s interactive extension map will help you locate your state’s main extension office with a simple click on your state.
- Strategic placement of trees to shade your home can help with energy conservation. Consider placing trees such that the west and south sides of your home are shaded from the hot afternoon sun.
03 Lawn Alternatives
This is another area getting a lot of press lately. If you have an area on your property where grass does not grow well, consider making a new garden bed. This will reduce mowing and the application of fertilizers. In addition, it will provide a space for wildlife.
The good news is that fall is the perfect time to create a new garden bed. There is a practice called lasagna gardening or sheet mulching that makes this process relatively easy. There is no need to dig up the lawn/weeds. Instead, layers of organic matter are placed on the area. After 4-6 months, the area is ready to be planted. I have used this method to create 3 new garden beds on our property. I swear by this process. To learn more, check out the article on my blog titled “Brilliant Method to create new garden beds”.
04 Plant to Create Diversity
Another term that I often read about is called biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or a given ecosystem. One practice to create a biodiverse garden is to plant native plants. A native plant is a plant that grows naturally in an area without the need for additional input or human intervention. To find native plants for your area, click this link to Native Plant Finder and enter your zip code. When creating a new garden bed, try to plant 70% native plants.
05 Conserve Water
Water is a limited resource. The way we design and maintain our gardens can have a significant impact on water usage. Here are some things you can do to limit the amount of water needed in your garden.
- Hang a water gauge outside to understand how much water each rainfall drops on your garden. Depending upon the type of soil, vegetable gardens need about ½-1 inch of water per week to produce healthy crops. Understanding how much rain has fallen will guide your vegetable garden watering.
- Consider collecting rainwater via a rain barrel. Rain barrels capture rain for future use. Here is a great article from Penn State University Extension on the use of rain barrels.
- When watering your garden, it’s helpful to have a few tools to measure how long and how much water is being applied. One tool is a water timer. Now, there are all types of timers to measure how long to water. From a simple manual timer to Wi-Fi-enabled ‘smart’ timers. In addition to measuring how long, you can also measure how much with a water meter attached to your hose. This is helpful in measuring how much water is being applied to the garden.
- Consider using drip irrigation or soaker hoses in your garden. They deliver water slowly and directly to the root system.
- Plant native plants. Besides creating diversity in your garden, native plants require less water because they are adapted to the environment.
06 Integrated Pest Management
I have come to learn that prevention and growing healthy plants is the best approach to managing pests and disease. There is a worldwide standard for managing garden pests (including diseases) called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). I like the framework because it guides you through a thoughtful process to understand the underlying cause. Finally, the goal is not to eliminate all pests, but rather to manage pests at an acceptable level. This practice leads to less application of herbicides and fungicides.
One aspect of IPM is prevention. There are two key practices you can follow:
- Understand your environment and your plant – put the right cultural controls in place from the start. For example, plant in the right place, at the right time, with the right spacing, sun, water, soil, and nutrients. Strong plants resist pests and disease. Of all the cultural controls, having good soil amended with organic matter (like compost) will give your plants the best possible start and opportunity to grow.
- Be observant – Make a habit of routinely walking around your garden to spot problems early. It is especially important to look at the leaves of plants and turn them over. Many pests will live on the underside of leaves.
For more information on this approach, please refer to the article ‘Managing Garden Pests with an integrated approach’.
To start your journey to sustainable gardening, try to implement one or two of these practices in the next gardening season. Please share any comments or questions you may have.
Additional Information
- The importance of native plants
- Understanding the USDA Organic Label
- Creating and Maintaining an Organic Vegetable Garden – Part One
- Creating and Maintaining an Organic Vegetable Garden – Part Two
- Useful tips for fall garden cleanup
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