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We are all concerned about our health and the quality of our environment. With this in mind, you can put your convictions to practical use in your garden. Some simple actions related to your horticultural habits can create environmental problems, rather than solving them.  And just as easily, new habits can positively impact the environment of your lawn and garden.

Eliminating Pesticide Use

Eliminating the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers is key to a healthy environment.  Often, we buy pesticides to protect our plants but end up killing off valuable insects, such as ladybugs, and damaging the biology of the soil in a way that stops the growth of strong, healthy plants. Basically, the use of pesticides translates into an unhealthy relationship between plants and their growth environment.

In order to create a landscape without pesticides, you will need to use appropriate plants that have been selected specifically for the ecological niche of their intended site. In order to achieve such optimal conditions, you will first need to identify four elements:

• the hardiness zone of the site
• the intensity of sunlight at the site
• the degree of moisture in the soil
• the nature of the soil

Next, you will need to select plants that are suitable to the four elements you've identified. Nurseries offer a broad variety of drought-resistant or disease-resistant plants, plants that are disliked by deer or other hungry wildlife, plants that like shade or sun—plants that are perfectly adapted to any particular climate conditions.

Improving Soil Quality

Now that you have the appropriate plants and are committed to eliminating pesticides, you need to turn your attention to the soil.  The principle is simple: Healthy soil produces healthy plants. Maintain well-nourished soil and it, in turn, will feed the plants; in fact, a single gram of healthy soil may contain up to one million beneficial micro-organisms.

To create and maintain rich soil, you need to ensure that an appropriate supply of organic matter, such as compost, goes into your soil. Healthy soil gives denser, more vigorous, and, above all, greener grass, as well as strong, flower- and fruit-producing plants.

Respecting Biodiversity

The vast majority of living organisms—such as insects, small mammals, amphibians, and micro-organisms—are essential for preserving a natural equilibrium. They all play a beneficial role, either by improving their environment or by feeding on undesirable organisms, or both. Learn how to distinguish among living organisms in order to understand their place in the environment.

Some organisms improve their habitat, such as bees who pollinate tree blossoms and garden plants, and worms who are tireless soil aerators, helping to increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil, digesting organic matter, and leaving behind castings, a potent fertilizer.

Other organisms are considered predators who take charge of the undesirables, such as beetles who feed on greenflies and mites. (Did you know that a beetle’s larva can eat up to 500 greenflies during its development?) Birds, small mammals, and amphibians all consume large quantities of insects much more safely and efficiently than any insecticide ever could. In order to bring back or stimulate biodiversity, you can start with the following suggestion:

• Ban the use of pesticides.
• Restore the soil by applying compost as much as needed.
• Sow aromatic flowers and insect-attracting herbs, such as chamomile, coriander, or mint.

Composting Your Waste
 

Household composting in your own backyard or on your deck is an easy way to transform organic debris, such as vegetable peelings and fruit rinds, into a rich mixture that you can use to improve the soil in your own garden. In addition, composting allows you personally to reduce the volume of trash that you send to the dump or incinerator each week.