10 steps to a sustainable garden

In just a few years, "sustainability" has changed from a "What?" word to a buzzword. People are recognizing the threats to our resources — water, air, soil, forests — but it's a common human response to a potential disaster to say, "What can I do? I'm only one person."

Fortunately, there are many things each of us can do in our own living spaces that, taken cumulatively, can make a difference.

The landscape is one place where many people and institutions have done a lot of work based on the principles of sustainable gardening, also called permaculture.

One is Ben Haggard, a master gardener, teacher and consultant in the Southwest whose 1993 book, "Living Community: A Permaculture Case Study at Sol y Sombra," details his work on the garden of that name in Santa Fe, N.M. And Hundredfold Farm, just west of Gettysburg, Pa., has developed a manifesto of landscape goals for the member-owned community, where 14 homes are clustered on an 80-acre site in a way that's designed to preserve its rural character.

Based partly on some of the guidelines offered by Haggard and by Hundredfold Farms, and partly on some of the practices I employ, here are 10 ways you can establish a healthier, happier garden as well as help renew the Earth.

Promote sustainability. Use plants, trees and shrubs that are native to your area and already thrive there. The primary advantage is that they have adapted to the growing conditions and shouldn't need extra water or nutrients. Keep the soil in good condition with homemade compost and mulch. Collect rainwater for use in the garden. Search out Web sites that offer information about indigenous plants.

Control use of pesticides and herbicides and use on-site materials. Employ natural remedies such as soap sprays, weeding and hand removal. Use the least toxic methods of control. Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps. Recycle organic plant material on your property. Compost it. If plant material is diseased, bag it and send it out with the trash. Leave grass clippings and fallen leaves on the lawn.

Resources


Learn more about sustainable gardening principles from these books:

"The Basics of Permaculture Design," by Ross Mars (Permanent Publications, 2005, $25).

"Edens Lost & Found: How Ordinary Citizens Are Restoring Our Great American Cities," by Harry Wiland and Dale Bell (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2006, $25).

"Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture," by Toby Hemenway (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2001, $24.95).

Re-create natural beauty. Use an informal style, with free-form beds and curving paths. When possible, use local materials for fences and structures and local stone for walls, paths and patios. Coordinate plantings for 12-month interest, such as spring-flowering bulbs and trees, summer-flowering perennials, fall fragrance and leaf color, and winter flowers and interesting bark. Make vegetable beds as beautiful as flower beds by training them on trellises, arbors or other structures, and mixing in beneficial flowers, such as marigolds. Include herbs and vegetables that have a variety of leaf colors. Use berms and swales to vary the elevation.

Encourage diversity. Plant a variety of plants and allow plants, birds and insects to have a place. A landscape should not be a still life, but a dynamic habitat for wildlife.

Consider permaculture. Lots of people are proud of their broad green lawns, but turf grass can be a greedy master. If you want golf-course-type turf, it can require lots of water, chemicals to keep it healthy and energy to keep it mowed. The permaculture solution is to plant less turf and more flowers and useful plants.

Use less energy. Make the most of collected water to irrigate the garden. Disturb the land as little as possible. For example, heavy machinery uses gasoline. Create berms for sound protection and privacy. Plant swales to reduce rainwater runoff, which can cause water pollution. Use shade plants to reduce cooling costs and windbreaks to reduce heating costs.

Increase food production. Plant more fruits and vegetables so you can "eat locally" and seasonally, and decrease the need for food to be transported all over the world. Increase food supplies by using greenhouses, cold frames, root cellars and harvest succession to expand growing seasons.

Make garden chores more efficient. Instead of pulling weeds, mowing the lawn or shearing with hedge trimmers, use that time to compost, mulch, plant and harvest.

Educate yourself and others. Learn the major environmental problems in your neighborhood and region.

Take responsibility. Reduce your imprint and let nature have a larger role.

Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md., and author of "Anyone Can Landscape" (Ball 2001).