A Master Gardener's Journal

Gardening is just the best, isn’t it? We get to indulge our passion, surround ourselves with beauty, enjoy nature and help protect the environment all at the same time.

Because a garden is an important environmental resource, we home gardeners can make a real contribution to the health of the planet—especially if we practice green gardening techniques. Green gardening, eco-gardening, environmentally responsible gardening, environmental stewardship or sustainable gardening—it doesn’t matter what you call it--it’s all the same. It’s practicing a few simple gardening principles that protect the earth and increase the chances that our children and grandchildren will be able to garden too.

If you’re new to the concept of green gardening, allow me to explain. Green gardeners feed the soil with compost to keep it healthy rather than relying on pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. They compost all the organic matter they can get their hands on, mulch like maniacs to eliminate weeds and use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to do the work of watering (if it’s ever needed). Then they sit back and enjoy the show.

As far as I’m concerned, there are no negatives involved in green gardening—only positives. Not only is green gardening easy, it saves time and money. Consider the following benefits:

Plants thrive all by themselves because they’re carefully chosen by hardiness zone and/or by species that are native to the area, and then planted in a spot that fulfills their specific needs for sun, shade and moisture.

Plants are rarely bothered by pests or disease because they’re healthy, so there’s no need to buy pesticides.

Shredded leaf mulch keeps the soil cool and moist, reduces the need for watering, acts as a weed barrier and feeds the soil as it breaks down. Any weeds that manage to grow through the mulch can be pulled by hand, eliminating the need to buy chemical weed-killers.

All kinds of creatures-- birds, bees, butterflies, beneficial insects, toads, frogs and garden snakes—are able to reside in the garden because no pesticides or weed-killers are used.

Because the soil is so healthy from all that rich compost and leaf mulch, the garden is easier to care for--giving you precious time to relax and enjoy the sights, scents and sounds of the nature sanctuary you created.

Less yard, lawn and kitchen waste is trucked to landfills because all organic waste is composted.

Water bills are lower because the need for supplemental watering is practically nil.

You’ll feel really good about contributing to the protection of the environment.

The best way to begin your green gardening adventure is to create healthy soil by feeding it compost made from organic matter and mulching with shredded leaves. When soil is healthy, the micro-organisms that live in it are healthy too. Those ultra-helpful organisms gobble up and digest mulch and compost, turning it into the vitamins and nutrients plants need to thrive. And guess what? A side product of all that digestion is the production of antibiotic substances that destroy soil pathogens. Micro-organisms do all the work--you get all the pleasure. It’s like having a staff of miniature Rumplestiltskins in your garden that turns waste into gold—black gold, that is.

Are you wondering where you’ll find enough material to compost? Don’t worry, your lawn, garden and kitchen produce it every day. So join the rest of the crowd and sign up for one of our composting workshops. When you learn to compost, you’re on your way to becoming a green gardener!

For tips on how to add organic matter to your soil, go to Adding Organic Matter

For tips on how to manage yard waste, go to Managing Yard Waste

For fascinating information about helpful soil bacteria, go to USDA Soil Bacteria

Do you have a gardening question? In Delaware County, call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

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