Is Your Garden Sustainable?

 

Gardening Ideas to Reduce Our Environmental Impact

November 15 is Recycle America Day in the US.  And I think this is a good time to look at our gardening habits and perhaps reduce our environmental impact - if even just a little bit.

Sustainability is one of those words that encompasses so many elements.  The concept is to reduce our use of natural resources of  water and fossil fuels. Conserving water goes in tandem to maintaining clean water.  Air pollution goes hand in hand with fuel emissions and manufacturing.

So I was trying to reduce this huge subject into a more meaningful conversation – What can I do, as a gardener to achieve more sustainable living practices?   Here are some of my ideas. 
Create and maintain a recycled garden.

Compost – Is the ultimate sustainable thing anyone can do. Recycle grass cutting, plant debris, food scraps,and paper. 

Compost

How does this reduce usage of natural resources? 1) No trash truck needs to use fuel to take your garbage to a landfill. 2) No plastic bags are needed to wrap up you garbage - Plastic that can stay in landfills for decades; and making plastic bags uses petroleum products, which are not renewable.

Plastic Bags of Refuse

  Recycle plastic pots

Pots Pile Up in the Potting Shed

This is a tough one for me, as my trash recycler does not take the black pots. Not the right code number - too dirty – whatever. So I take the containers back to the garden center where I bought the plants.( HINT: buy quart size plants. They use less plastic, and the transportation for more small containers, than costs for transportation for the fewer, larger ones. )
The containers should be washed out of soil.  The shredder that reduces this plastic for reuse gets bogged down if mud binds up machinery. 

Since some trash haulers do not take nursery containers, businesses are stepping in to take this huge source of plastic out of the landfills.  Lowe’s is one such company.

Once the pots and trays are returned to the store, they are picked up by local vendors and sorted. The reusable material is sterilized and reintroduced to the production cycle. Serviceable trays are recovered and reused in the growing, shipping and sale of live plants. Material not deemed reusable is crushed, banded and sent for recycling.

Rain Barrels capture free water

Collected rain water can be used to water plants. Rain water runoff is reduced. Reducing runoff lessens erosion, and reduces chemicals that get into the sewers, streams, and rivers. A typical 1 inch rain fall on a standard roof  of 1000 s/f can collect 600 gallons of rain water.  I have a Fiskars rain barrel as one of two I have in my yard.

Rain Barrel by Fiskars

Use newspapers as mulch

Newspaper as Mulch

Recycle Newspaper

Recycle with thick layers of newspaper, or cardboard. This effectively blocks weed seeds from germinating by blocking out the light.  The paper will decompose and add nutrients to the soil.  Cover with a layer of compost or decorative mulch for a more finished look. 

Reduce Water Usage

Forego (some of) the lawn.  Just because everyone has one, is not a reason to have one.  Up to 50% of home water usage is used on the lawn.  Rain water is not well absorbed by turf – only about 10% -  and runoff is high.  This can pollute area watersheds especially if chemicals are used for fertilizer and pest controls.

Water Runoff

Use Native plants – once natives are established, they need little supplemental watering. I have discussed Native Plants in a previous article. (Read it here.)

Native Echineacea

Use Mulch on Beds – Mulch can reduce water usage by keeping the sun and wind from drying out the soil.  Plants are not stressed by extreme soil temperatures either, since the mulch keeps the soil in a more even range.  Mulch in the fall only after the soil is near frozen as the insulation of the mulch may allow the soil to remain too warm and keep plants from hardening off sufficiently which can cause tissue damage in freezing temperatures.

Add Mulch to control Weeds and Conserve Water

Obviously, there is much a gardener can do to be more environmentally friendly.  Recycling plastics, recycling newspapers, reclaiming water, and reducing water use, are all key elements to a sustainable environment.  Sustainable living is multi-faceted, and these gardening ideas as just a few. 

What sustainable practices do you feel are important?  Tell us about them.  I love to get comments.  Thanks.

Landscape - Common Practices that Cost Us

Landscapes - Are We Making This Too Difficult?


God and Grass

I received this email a while back.  I do not know the author to give credit.  But I could not say it any better. (I've added the pictures.)

GOD:

Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago?

I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds.

 I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS:

It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD:

Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms.

Grubs

Billbug

 It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS:

Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:

The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS:

Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD:

They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:

Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD:

They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS:

No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD:

Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS:

Yes, Sir.

GOD:

These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:

You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it,

 so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:

What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself.

 The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS:

You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:

No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:

After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD:

And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS:

They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD:

Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:

'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about....

GOD:

Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.*


I hope my story has humored us into rethinking how we garden.  Are we 'mimicing' nature?  Can we garden like nature?  You betcha!  Hope this gives us something to strive for - and take care of our environment. Thanks for stopping by.  Claudia

Mulch–Choices that Affect the Soil

Mulch is a covering put on gardens and landscape that can benefit the soil. Mulch can be organic material.  Mulch can be inorganic material.  mulch can make a garden look finished.
   Mulch can also make gardening easier.  Mulch can save water.  Mulch can smother grasses and weeds in the garden.  Mulch can keep weed seed from germinating. Mulch can keep soil temperatures stable.  Mulch can reduce and prevent erosion.  Mulch can add organic material to the soil.  Mulch can keep soil borne diseases from splashing onto foliage.


This graphic is one of my favorites when mulch is being discussed.  The benefits of mulch being applied to the garden are many.  The materials that are used as mulch also are many.  Let’s take a look at some of the good choices for mulch 


Wood chips,and  wood bark are probably the most used mulches used in landscaping.  The wood make the landscape looked well groomed, and has all of the benefits of any mulch choices.  The size of the wood chips can be fine grind or course grind.  The larger nuggets tend to move around in the garden, especially if there are hard downpours of rain.  Smaller chips will decompose faster than larger pieces, and will need to be replaced more often.

One of my favorite mulches is pine needles.  Many of our gardening friends in the South US have unlimited supplies of pine needles.  But those of us in the North have to buy bales of pine needless to spread in our gardens.  Pine needles are ‘slightly’ acidic and are slow to decompose.
The acidic nature of pine needles benefits plants that need a low pH to grow.  pH below 7 is considered acidic, and azaleas, rhododendron, and holly need acid soil to thrive.  In fact, most plants, including food crops like a pH in the 6 – 7 range on the pH scale as slightly acidic.
 
Other mulch choices include straw, grass clippings, and cocoa shells.  I really like cocoa shell mulch.  It is dark, decomposes slowly, and – guess what! – it smells wonderful.




When using grass clippings to mulch, especially food crops gardens, be sure they are herbicide-free to reduce contamination of the food you are growing.
 

For many years I have used newspapers as mulch.  This helped reduce landfill contributions of tons of paper. When 5-6 layers are put on grass or weeds, it is a successful in smothering them and makes the area ready to plant in about 8 weeks.  Heavy cardboard works the same way.
Inks of most publications are soy based and will not harm the soil.  However, colored magazine or ads from the newspaper should be avoided, as these inks may contain harmful pigments.

Old tires are being recycled into mulches.  In theory this is a good way to keep tires out of landfills.  However, the rubber contains zinc and leaches into the soil.  I would hesitate using rubber mulches on food crops. 

Another source of mulch is recycled wood from pallets.  Many facilities are grinding this wood into shredded mulch, and offering it to the consumer in multiple colors.

The dyes used in this process are vegetable based and will bio-degrade safely into the soil.  However, some sources I have seen are cautioning  that this wood source maybe contaminated.  Shippers have issues with insects and rodents in cargo, and some of these pallets are saturated with these insecticides and arsenic. 



One other mulch I will ask you to NOT use is cypress mulch.  The problem with cypress is that the gulf coast region is being harvested of these trees, and area eco-systems are being destroyed.  Even small basins and swamps are drying out.  The natural floodwater controls are being affected. More trees are harvested than can regrow so this source is unsustainable.  Wildlife refuge and habitats are disappearing.

 

Gravel and stones can be used as mulch.  They can smother weeds, and look pretty at the base of some plants.  Careful plant choices are required with this type of mulch, however, since rocks can hold a tremendous amount of heat and plants can ‘bake’.  The use of succulents and cactus may be suitable for this type of mulch.  Alpine plants and other rock garden choices will hold up as well.
 


Springtime is typically time to mulch the landscape.  The soil should be fairly warmed up since mulch, while regulating soil temperatures, may hinder the warm-up if put on too cool of soil.  Some food crops, like tomatoes need warmer soils.
 
Another faulty practice concerning mulching is ‘volcano’ mulch.  We have all see this time and time again, only to see this result. The bark of the tree holds moisture and trees are set up to fail from bacteria, fungus, and insects. Never put mulch right up against the trunk and never more that 3” – 4” deep.




Mulch is a key to healthy soil, healthy plants, and environmentally sound gardening practices.  Mulch inhibits weeds – reducing herbicides and hand digging.  Mulch saves water – soil dry out less frequently which requires less supplemental water. Mulch – organic mulch- will gradually decompose and add nutrients back into the soil. 



Spring is Finally breaking in my Zone 6 garden, and mulch is not far behind.  We have Mulch to Do!

What is your favorite mulch?  Let us know.  I love to hear from my readers.  Have a great Spring.