Sustainable Gardening
When you think of sustainable gardening, what comes to mind? If you Google the definition of sustainable gardening, many things will pop up in the search results but the most popular is “growing plants in a way to conserve resources, support ecosystems, and have productive or sustainable garden”. Some of the main principles of sustainable gardening are working along with nature, conserving water, building healthy soil web, and promoting biodiversity.
Here in Florida, especially Central Florida, various climate factors can shape our garden habit decisions like heat, sun, sandy soil, and especially during the summer months heavy rain in the afternoons. Let’s dig into how you can take simple steps to make your garden more sustainable.
Working with Nature
When it comes to working with nature, take a walk through your yard or garden. During your walk take time to observe the natural elements throughout the yard like sun exposure (especially during different times of the day), water flow or lack there of it, and soil matter - which we will dive into deeper later.
It is easy to go to a nursery or garden center and get carried away buying plants. Before you do this, try to figure out the right plant for the right place in your yard. Not just taking into account what is the full maturity of a plant but also if this plant is ideal for your hardiness zone (here in Central Florida we are zone 10a), Florida-friendly (meaning not invasive), and what is best suited for that specific location you want to enhance in your yard.
Conserving Water
There are several things you can do to maximize water used in your yard and garden. As the summer months approach, we will start to experience frequent heavy, almost monsoon rainstorms in the afternoons. If you have an irrigation system, a rain gauge is very helpful especially during the wetter months. It will shut off your system when we receive a certain amount of rain. Rain barrels are also are extremely helpful during rainy season because you can capture water from nature for the garden. Applying mulch throughout the garden will help retain water, maintain moisture temperatures, and minimize weeds. Watering your plants by hand is another way to conserve water.
When watering during the most warm/hot months of the year here in central Florida, schedule irrigation or hand water in the morning before 10am. Try to avoid watering mid-day or in the evening. The water will evaporate if you water during the peak hours of sunshine and heat. Pest and disease are more likely to plague your garden if you water in the evening. Try to water throughly and less frequently to conserve water resources.
Building Healthy Soil
The key to having a healthy garden is having a healthy soil food web. There is a whole web operating underneath the top layer of soil that keeps the ecosystem in check called the soil food web. By amending the soil with organic matter you can build the health of your soil. Organic matter can be compost, worm castings, or even yard waste - think “chop and drop”. Chop and drop refers to chopping dead plants and dropping by other plants to decompose and provide nutrients to the soil food web. (Avoid composting plant matter that is diseased or has pests.) By building up the organic matter, you don’t have to add artificial chemicals to sustain your plants because nature will do it for you!
Before planting, I always recommend starting with a soil test - either from the University of Florida or Logan Labs. This will help you identify any deficiencies or excess elements in the soil which can be detrimental to plants. Soil tests also give you a base line of where to go with amending. There are natural alternatives to artificial chemicals that can provide the nutrients that your plants are lacking.
Mulch or pine straw are great for conserving water as well as helping to build soil health. Try to choose natural mulch options and avoid cypress or mulch with dye. Natural mulch will break down and become part of the soil food web eventually. During those windy, rainy days, mulch will keep soil and soil nutrients in place.
Promoting Biodiversity
Choosing Florida-friendly or Florida native plants is a great start to promoting biodiversity. These plants will attract more wildlife into your garden and resilient Florida’s unique climate. Keep in mind the seasons. Yes, Florida does have seasons! Certain species migrate during various seasons, like the Monarch butterfly. By selecting non-invasive plants and thinking about having plants blooming throughout the year, you will sustain a diverse ecosystem in your yard. Many Florida native plants are unique in that they are the only source of food for critical parts of the life cycle for certain species, like butterflies.
Try to avoid insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, ect. These might “fix” the problem initially but usually they act as a bandaid not really addressing the real garden issue. These artificial chemicals will not only kill the bad things in the garden but also the beneficial buddies we want in our yards. There are alternatives if you do a little research.
When we garden in a kind way, meaning thinking about taking care of our garden and our planet, our decisions impact our environment. So, I would like to invite you to think about what small things you can change about your gardening. Little things can make a big difference.
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