Learn basic tips for sustainable gardening. Provides commonsense advice for environmentally conscious people who want to start a garden.

1. Sustainable Gardening for the Non-Gardener
After an odd winter that seemed to linger for far too long,
spring has finally sprung and it is time to get your garden
ready for action. What’s that….you do not have a garden
and you don’t know where to begin?? That’s okay
because (in theory) all that is required is some dirt, water,
nutrients, sunshine, and time. Here are some tips to get
your sustainable garden off to a good start:
Location, Location, Location. I have read dozens of
gardening articles and blog posts, but none of them stress
how important it is to plant your garden in the right spot
of your yard or patio. All successful gardens are located in
a primo spot with the right blend of sunshine and water
drainage.
 Sun – most vegetables (tomatoes, squash,
carrots, cucumbers, peppers, okra, etc.) need
between 6 and 8 hours of sun per day so take
note of any shade from trees or buildings, as well
as a lack of shade from wide-open spaces. If
shade is the “law of your land” then you should
consider growing broccoli, cauliflower, peas,
salad greens and other vegetables identified in
this About.com organic gardening article.
 Drainage – unless you are growing rice, your soil needs to drain effectively so avoid places that
pool after heavy rains. According to the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, your
soil should drain 1 to 6 inches of moisture per hour.
Containment. It is easier to nurture and protect your prized plants when they are well contained so
many novices prefer to use raised planting beds or a variety of pots. You can see dozens of pots and
small planting beds on HomeDepot.com, EarthEasy.com or you can build your own raised bed with
pressure treated lumber from your local hardware store. Please note that you should NEVER use old
railroad ties, utility poles or other industrial treated woods to build a raised garden bed because they
may contain arsenic or other poisonous chemicals that can leach into soil and vegetables.
Prepare (your soil) for liftoff. Whether you are planting in a pot, raised bed or in the ground, your plants
will need food and it’s your responsibility to provide it in the form of fertile soil. Since this is a
sustainability site and shipping soil across the globe is rather inefficient, my recommendation is to go to
your local nursery and ask what regional, organic garden soil they recommend. I went to Pikes Nursery
near my home in Atlanta and they recommended using a 3 to 1 organic blend of vegetable planting mix
(3 bags) to chicken manure (1 bag) from E.B.Stone for my small raised beds. TreeHugger.com also wrote
about 3 other organic soil producers it this blog post.
Plant smart. If you are in the lower 48 States, your chances of growing bananas are pretty slim so plant
vegetables that are native (or at least tolerant) to your climate. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, carrots,
peppers, pumpkins, onions, berries and potatoes grow well in most of the U.S and Europe. Again, I
recommend talking to your local nursery staff to see which varieties have the best success in your region
and garden location.

2. Sustainable Gardening for the Non-Gardener
Prepare to water. I realize that watering is an obvious requirement for gardening, but it is important to
think about early because certain varieties of plants require more water than others so if you cannot
commit to watering every day during hot summer months, you may want to plant more drought
tolerant vegetables, like jalapenos, pole beans, black-eye peas or okra. You should also consider
spreading mulch or pine straw around your garden to retain moisture. A rain collection system is the
perfect way to help keep your garden green, even with the city’s ‘watering-ban’ days. It is also not too
early to think about who is going to water your garden while you are on your summer vacation.
Weeds suck! That’s right…weeds “suck” nutrients and moisture from your precious vegetables so spread
mulch or pine straw to deter weed growth and plan on pulling weeds once per week. While pulling
weeds is not fun, it is far superior to spraying chemicals on your garden.
Gardening is fun, healthy, and a perfect excuse to dig in the dirt. Plus, if you find out that you have a
green thumb, you may want to sell your garden goodies at the local farmer’s market. Just follow the six
easy steps above and you’ll be a gardening pro in no time.
~ Brian Mueller – ProvenSustainable.com
Learn basic tips for sustainable gardening. Provides commonsense advice for environmentally conscious
people who want to start a garden.