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The Garden Life: Thoughts On Sustainable Gardening
 For
many who garden, the concept of gardening naturally or holistically
or organically is one of our greatest challenges. Each new generation
approaches the issues of the modern world from a unique view point.
While some long time gardeners feel intimidated by the idea of eliminating
all non-organic techniques, those who begin gardening in today's
world will likely feel that the use of sustainable gardening practices
is the best choice they can make.
Sustainable gardening is based on an understanding of how nature
creates healthy plants. Whatever we grow, vegetables, flowers, grass,
or trees, we can garden with sustainable methods. The ultimate goal
of sustainable gardening is to have a healthy living plant and soil
ecosystem that survives heartily on its own resources. Sustainable
gardening uses natural biological methods to build soil fertility
and healthy, insect-resisting plants. The raw materials used in
the garden are taken from local plant and mineral sources.
When I was a kid and the topic of organic gardening came up, it
was often dismissed as if it was no more than a harebrained scheme
thought up by a bunch of California hippies, high on marijuana.
While some of those details may have been true, time has shown us
that over the long term, organic gardening was never a foolish concept.
There is no longer any doubt that many of those original organic
gardeners had the right idea by gardening in conjunction with nature.
When speaking with gardeners of a certain age, I've found that
one of their greatest fears is that altering long held gardening
practices will somehow make gardening more difficult. Another fear
is that they will lose control over the pests that may invade their
gardens. In reality, sustainable gardening relieves us of many time
consuming tasks, the most obvious being chemical spray and fertilizing
schedules. Rather than causing us to lose control, sustainable gardening
puts pest control back in the hands of the beneficial insect population.
In the natural world, virtually everything is sought out and "eaten"
by something else. In many American gardens, insecticides, fungicides
and herbicides often take the place of healthy soil and mechanical
and natural controls. Pesticides are meant to kill and that includes
all the beneficial insects that would naturally inhabit our gardens.
If there is a safe pesticide, it is one that kills only the target
organism and leaves no trace in the environment. Few pesticides
meet these very selective criteria.
Most commercial fertilizers boost plant growth rapidly. Too commonly,
these high potency fertilizers are used in excess, and end up as
phosphorus and nitrate pollution of ground water and small streams.
Poisoning of aquatic life and severe oxygen deficiencies may result
from these chemicals reaching our water sources. You can reduce
fertilizer potency and application rates and still improve plant
health. "Natural" fertilizers, such as composts and pasteurized
manures, are preferable, as they release a much greater variety
of nutrients more slowly. If commercial fertilizers are used, choose
a slow releasing fertilizer. Make and use compost in the landscape
and help save landfill space.
For someone considering natural gardening, the best advice I can
give is to think of working with nature whenever possible. A few
suggestions from garden experts in our community suggest the following
tactics:
Fit your garden to your environment. Select plants that are well
adapted to your site, including natives.
Select plants that are resistant to pests and diseases common in
your region.
Compost yard and kitchen wastes and use the compost in your garden.
Recycle grass clippings by using a mulching lawn mower.
Encourage natural predators of problematic pests. Learn to recognize
and care for natural pest controls, such as ladybird beetles, beneficial
wasps of many sizes, birds, toads, parasitic and predatory flies,
and many others.
Practice sanitation; dispose of plant parts that may harbor disease
and/or insects.
Use organic gardening techniques such as healthy soil building
techniques, companion planting, herbal pest sprays, and crop rotation.
Intervene if you must. Try hand removal or spraying pest insects
with water.
Those who already garden in a sustainable manner recognize the
multitude of reasons to plan and maintain an ecological landscape.
Reducing pollution, conserving resources, and creating wildlife
habitat are just a few of the end benefits to taking a sustainable
approach to gardening. From personal experience, I can assure you
that your efforts will be rewarded. While the environment reaps
the benefit of these sustainable practices, the gardener will find
that a more naturalistic landscape cuts down on garden maintenance.
The way I see it, we might all end up spending less time working
and more time enjoying our gardens.
Robb Rosser is a WSU Master Gardener. He is a freelance writer,
photographer and speaker and you can reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.
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