Eco-friendly Gardening Tips

You shun plastic straws and bring your reusable bags to the grocery store (well… most of the time). So why not continue the green theme in your garden and plant with the planet in mind?

We hear a lot about “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” gardening, and those are tricky terms. It’s easy to fall into greenwashing territory because there is no concrete definition of what makes a garden eco-friendly. So here’s what we mean when we talk about an eco-friendly garden: a garden that aims to benefit the environment, rather than harm it. A gardener with an eco-friendly mindset aims to minimize any negative impacts on the local ecosystem.

Why do eco-friendly gardening methods matter?

Over time, gardening with the environment in mind can have a major impact on your home, your lawn and garden, and your local ecosystem.

YOUR HOME
Growing an eco-friendly garden can:

• Lower your air conditioning and heating bills

• Help you reduce food waste

• Minimize your water bill

• Teach your children about the importance of being “green” and giving back to the environment

YOUR LAWN AND GARDEN

• Planting native plants means fewer invasive species and weeds can thrive

• Climate-appropriate plants grow bigger and stronger with less maintenance

• Avoiding fertilizers and pesticides makes for a safer lawn and garden for your family to enjoy

YOUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEM
By growing an eco-friendly garden, you can:

• Provide vital food sources and habitat for your local pollinators and other wildlife

• Limit the spread of invasive plant species in your community

• Reduce excess waste in local landfills

• Minimize your water usage

Here are six ways you can make your garden more eco-friendly:

1. Use Less Water
Reducing your water use is one of the easiest ways you can make your garden more eco-friendly. The average lawn only needs about an inch of water a week, and many gardens can thrive on minimal watering as well. You could also consider switching to a drip irrigation system as they result in less water loss due to evaporation.

2. Minimize Fertilizer Use
Most chemical fertilizers work by providing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, three key nutrients that most plants need. But all of those things have a negative effect on the environment in large quantities. Organic materials such as compost, lawn clippings, bone meal, or peat moss are safer alternatives and better for the environment.

3. Reduce or Remove Your Lawn
Replacing your lawn with native plants accomplishes both of the tips above! We know, a deep green, perfectly manicured lawn is a suburban staple. And for good reason - they’re beautiful and make a great place to play with your kids or host a summer BBQ. But reducing your lawn or replacing it entirely will save a ton of water, reduce your need for fertilizers, and provide valuable habitat for pollinators.

4. Compost
Composting is a great way to repurpose food scraps and fertilize your garden. It allows you and your family to be more aware of your food waste, while giving it a new purpose in your garden. Getting started with composting can sound overwhelming, but if you start small, it’s actually pretty simple. Plus, adding compost to your soil will help it retain more moisture and need less frequent watering.

5. Save your Seeds
Once you have an established garden, you can regenerate your garden with seeds from the year before. For a sustainable vegetable garden, regrow tomatoes, peppers, beans, and peas with seeds from the year before. You can also save seeds from native plants and dried flowers to replant the following year.

6. Turn off your outdoor lights at night. 
Light pollution doesn’t just affect your view of the stars at night; it is detrimental to migrating birds, pollinators, larger wildlife like deer, and even human health. Turning off your outdoor lights at night, reducing flood lights and uplighting, and using warmer-colored bulbs can make a huge difference. Remember, too, to close your drapes in the evening so your indoor lighting has less of an effect on the outside world.

Eco-friendly gardening benefits pollinators, other wildlife, and humans alike. If we all start planting with the planet in mind, we can protect the nature of the place you love!