Sustainable Gardening 101

By Jan Scow

The concept of sustainability has been brandished about in recent years as the mantra of a broad new collation of activists and citizens pushing to get traction on global environmental problems. Sustainable is the new buzzword for a public awakened to the pressing concerns of global warming and its attendant impacts on the environment. We've been convinced: global warming is real and we're eager to do something to help. We're ready to be sustainable.

But what does the term sustainable garden imply?

The concept of sustainability has several levels of complexity. Perhaps its simplest and broadest definition is Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, or as in the Iroquois tradition, In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decision on the next seven generations.

For the sake of the average home gardener, sustainable gardening is a method of gardening that conserves resources, minimizes environmental degradation, and reduces the amount of refuse leaving the site. In creating a sustainable home garden, consider the following goals:

Goals of Sustainable Gardening
Food production for the home
Reduction of waste leaving site
Reduction of water leaving site
Reduction of reliance on external inputs (materials, energy, water, etc.)
Restricted use of chemicals
Recycling, reuse of existing on-site materials

Plant Selection
Convert lawn or other high maintenance landscape areas to vegetable gardens, fruit tree orchards, or drought-tolerant native landscaping.
Insert drought-tolerant native plants to reduce irrigation and conserve water.

Water
Capture rainwater from pavement and ground using swales and basins.
Capture runoff from roofs in cistserns and store for irrigation during the dry season
Repair traditional irrigation systems
Reduce reliance or eliminate reliance on automatic irrigation systems

Soil
Mature compost is integrated into the garden soil as needed
Rotate vegetable crops to maximize the beneficial effect on soils.
Grow cover crops such as clover to add nitrogen to the soil.
Mulch soil to a depth of 2-3 inches to hold moisture, moderate soil temperatures, and reduce weed control issues.

Pest Management
Avoid pesticide and packaged fertilizer If you must use pesticides, focus on a narrow range of treatment with low environmental toxicity like spray oils and insecticidal soaps.

For more ideas about eco-friendly pest management, see Michelle Mocarski's article on companion planting.