22 ways to be a greener gardener

May 06, 2007|By Beth Botts, Tribune staff reporter

Nothing feels greener than gardening. Aren't we part of the natural world when we work on our yards?

But gardening has its downside: fertilizer and pesticide pollution, wasted water, plastic pots in landfills, oil burned and greenhouse gases emitted to heat greenhouses and ship plants to market -- not to mention the risk of insect-, weed- and fungus-killing poisons on our lawns and our garden vegetables.

Yet if we are careful, our little patches of ground, all put together, can truly be world-saving. Plants cool the Earth, hold in moisture, provide habitat for wildlife and absorb harmful excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Food we grow ourselves can be free of pesticides and costs nothing to ship. Plants -- and puttering around with plants -- soothe our harried souls.

The trick is to garden with the greater environment in mind. None of us can do everything right away, but each small step makes a difference. Here are some suggestions:

1. Avoid using pesticides. Instead, build up healthy soil to help prevent disease. Use barriers such as netting or cutworm collars. Wash aphids away with spray from the hose. Encourage beneficial insects that eat harmful ones. Instead of spraying, tolerate a few weeds, spots or insects if it's only an aesthetic problem.

2. Choose plants carefully. Pick insect- and disease-resistant and those that match your sun and soil conditions so they don't become weak and vulnerable.

3. Use native plants. They are adapted to the local climate, soils and pests, and can fend for themselves better than many imported plants. So: less watering, fewer chemicals.

4. Don't overfertilize. More is not better for plants or the environment. Plants only can absorb so much, and the rest washes away to pollute waterways. Follow directions or err on the side of less. Seek organic fertilizers that release nutrients slowly as plants need them.

5. Make compost. It is the basic ingredient of good soil. Decayed plant matter supports a wide range of beneficial organisms that digest it to provide nutrients to plants. It also opens up the soil to needed oxygen and gives it the right texture. Start with a simple heap of plant material, or buy a bin to keep out animals.

6. Water wisely. Don't waste tap water, which must be treated in sewage plants and may grow scarce. Don't sprinkle more than necessary or in the heat of the day when much evaporates. Put drip irrigation and soaker hoses on timers to water at night or in the early morning. Water lawns long and deep once a week, not lightly and frequently.

7. Plan for wise watering. Group thirsty plants in one bed close to the house; fill farther beds with drought-tolerant perennials that need little or no watering. For lawns, choose fescues, which tolerate dry spells better than bluegrass. Mulch around trees and plants to keep water from evaporating.

8. Salvage water. Put a rain barrel (see Clippings on the Gardening page) under the downspout to collect free water for the garden. Keep a bucket in the bathroom to collect water when you run the shower to warm it up and use it to water plants.

9. Make a rain garden. To keep rainwater from running off, make a bed designed to collect it so it can be absorbed by deep-rooted natives and perennials.

10. Grow from seed. If you grow your own plants, no pollution is created while heating greenhouses or shipping plants to market. Use organic fertilizers and grow varieties best suited to your conditions.

11. Make more plants. Whether from seed, divisions, cuttings or swaps with other gardeners, plants you don't buy save on shipping emissions and oil for the manufacture of plastic pots.

12. Minimize plastic. Reuse pots. Use recyclable food containers or homemade newspaper pots to start seeds. Take cardboard boxes to the nursery and leave plastic nursery flats behind. Look for plants grown in biodegradable containers.

13. Be skeptical. The term "organic" should mean produced without any chemical fertilizers, fungicides or herbicides -- but always ask. The OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute) seal means the product has met a strict standard.

14. Pay up. Organically grown plants are usually more expensive because they take longer to grow without chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers also are more expensive than those that come from chemical factories. But they're worth it.

15. Welcome wildlife.

To enhance the natural balance in your yard, provide water, seed heads and berry-bearing shrubs for birds, nectar-rich flowers for butterflies.

16. Go electric. Electric mowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers and hedge trimmers create less pollution and are more energy-efficient than gas ones. Better yet, go people-powered, with a push mower.

17. Rethink peat moss. Peat bogs are destroyed to make peat moss (which has few nutrients, anyway). Use compost rather than peat to mulch grass seed. Look for mulches made of byproducts, such as cocoa hulls or pine bark.

18. Plant trees. Their shade saves energy, cools gardens, prevents evaporation and increases property values. Trees absorb carbon dioxide.

19. Use it again. Look for products that include recycled materials or reuse what you have. Every new product bought requires resources that go into manufacturing and shipping.

20. Buy local. Plants grown or gardening products made within a 200- or 300-mile radius save energy and shipping emissions.

21. Speak up. Ask for organic and sustainably harvested products and organically grown plants.

22. Learn. The more you understand about how plants work and how they fit with the Earth and life forms around them, the better you can choose and care for them in ways that don't pollute or waste resources. So read, attend classes, reach for a deeper understanding of the science of your garden.