A Master Gardener's Journal

Seventy percent of the US population has a garden. That’s a lot of gardeners! Home Gardeners play a very important role in helping to protect the environment. Let’s all do our part by being environmental stewards of our land. Here are five environmentally friendly gardening practices to get you started:

(1) Use shredded leaves as a mulching agent and a soil enricher. If you can’t shred the leaves on your property, put them in a pile and let them turn to composted material. If you don’t have enough leaves for your needs, ask your neighbors for theirs.
Why? Shredded leaf mulch is the best way to retain moisture, prevent evaporation and enrich your soil. It contains no harmful ingredients to contaminate the earth or our water supply.
Benefits to you: Save money. No need to buy commercial mulch.

(2) Make your own compost from kitchen and yard waste. Use compost as both a mulching agent and a soil feeder. If you don’t have enough, check with your township to see if they offer free compost. To find out where your local compost pick-up site is located, .go to Compost Directory.
Why? Recycling kitchen and yard waste keeps these materials out of our landfills and puts them to good use. Compost is an excellent soil feeder.
Benefits to you: Save money. No need to buy chemical fertilizers and commercial mulch.

(3) Practice IPM (integrated pest management). If you must use pest control products, always use the least toxic product. Be sure to identify the pest you want to control so you can use the appropriate product. Read labels to be sure that application is applied at the correct time and in the correct way.
Why? Many pest control products end up in the soil and water. Using the wrong product for a particular pest will be ineffective. Products applied in the wrong way or at the wrong time will be ineffective.
Benefits to you: Save time and money, live in a healthier environment

(4) Conserve water by planting drought resistant plants and native plants, using soaker hoses or drip irrigation with a timer, installing a rain barrel, and placing water-loving plants in the wet areas of your yard.
Why? Our entire country is facing a water shortage in the near future due to climate changes from global warming (the West and the South are already having problems). Water bills are increasing astronomically.
Benefits to you: Save money on your water bill, help conserve a precious resource.

(5) Help reduce flooding and water contamination by installing a driveway of pervious material. Then plant a water garden to capture run-off and allow rainwater to percolate through the soil instead of running into overloaded storm drains and carrying contaminants with it.
Why? Excessive run-off into overloaded storm drains-- especially during heavy rainfalls—is caused by the increase in impervious surfaces (houses, driveways, walkways, patios, roads). This produces a double whammy of flooding and contamination as overloaded storm drains flow into sewage drains.

In PA, we have both combined sewer overflow and sanitary sewer overflow systems. In combined sewer overflow, “sanitary and storm sewer contents flow into common pipes which carry the total flow to sewage treatment plants. Sanitary Sewer Overflow involves sanitary sewer systems with old pipes that are not water-tight, allowing storm water to enter the system and be carried to the treatment plant.

In both instances, wastewater treatment plants become overloaded during heavy rains, reducing their ability to provide adequate treatment. This results in the discharge of waste directly to our streams. This is a major source of contamination in many parts of Pennsylvania and particularly affects older communities with deteriorated and inadequate facilities.”*
Benefits to you: Clean water and less flooding.

*from PA Dept of Environmental Protection website

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