From that headline you’re expecting something snarky, I bet, because the government couldn’t do anything right by us. But this isn’t GardenRant and this post is snark-free, just reporting some gems I heard from the person who runs EPA’s program that teaches "The Easy Way to a Greener, Healthier Yard". Or try their terrific brochure, in pdf. They also have this info for larger landscapes.
What I like about the program is how it breaks down sustainable ("environmentally beneficial") gardening into 5 simple parts, and makes the changes easy to understand and fairly easy to do.
- Build and maintain healthy soil
- Plant right for your site
- Practice smart watering
- Adopt a holistic approach to pest management
- Practice natural lawn care
Looks right to me, this holistic approach to our land. The director of the whole shebang, Jean Schwab, explained to a local Sierra Club group over the weekend that sustainable gardening mimics natural cycles, and went on to wow us with her amazing landfill photos – seriously!
NOTES I TOOK
- As alternatives to our tall fescue turfgrass, she suggested buffalo grass, clover, ground covers, or one of the "no-mow" grasses. I’ve gotta research this stuff some more.
- Most post-construction "soil" has about 1% organic matter, while turf needs 5-6% and larger plants more like 10. They don’t have a chance.
- She’s really big on "plastic lumber," which lasts 50 or more years, unlike treated wood at 10 years, maybe, and the critters won’t gnaw on it, either.
- Also loves the permeable rubberized asphalt. Gonna Google that one, too.
- Say what you will about modern farming techniques and products, they don’t dump anything on their land that doesn’t produce a result, unlike homeowners who just buy crap and spread it, more often than not without reading the instructions. (I’m embellishing here; Jean was much nicer about homeowners than I am.)
- The number uno mistake of homeowners is the failure to prepare the soil.
- 85 to 95 percent of bugs are "good bugs."
- Save money with "blown-in" compost. Yep, something else to look into.
Btw, Jean is also on the steering committee of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, and overall, she’s way cooler than our stereotypes of federal officials.
{ 4 comments }
Great post!
There are things here that I need to look into as well. I’ve never heard of some of these things .
Cameron
HI: Just printed the brochure and reviewed it, looks very good and well presented. Like other gardening articles you have to kind of read between the lines and adapt the information to your situation and that was easy to do.
Good post and thanks for the information,
John
Yesterday a student of mine handed me a document she found that was produced by the EPA about understanding and defining “sense of place.”
Just when you think you’ve got them figured out they go and make you proud.
Everything else I’ve heard of, but do find out what “blown-in” compost is. That one has me truely stumped (pun intended!
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