Green Living
Coming Up Green
Organic gardens thrive naturally, making them healthier for the environment and easier for you to maintain.

Heavy reliance on artificial fertilizers and pesticides has resulted in toxic buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water. Surprisingly, residential users apply more pounds per acre of these chemicals than farmers do, causing polluted runoff to harm aquatic life and contaminate the food chain. To the contrary, organic methods create a healthy biodiversity in your garden and help nurture our environment’s life cycle.

The foremost concerns of going green in your garden are fertilization and pest control. Bob Hauck, manager at Walter Knoll’s LaSalle Street location in St. Louis’ flower district, maintains his own personal organic garden and finds that these issues are quite easy to address. “Composting is key to good fertilization,” he says. “Plus it’s a great way to recycle.”

Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw and small twigs are combined and allowed to break down into a soil-like texture, and it is a great alternative to commercial fertilizers. Compost improves soil structure, texture and aeration, and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. It also balances both acid and alkaline soils, bringing pH levels into the optimum range for nutrient availability. “If you’re just starting an organic garden,” says Bob, “you can use bagged, organic fertilizers or manure while your compost pile matures.”

“Where is a better place to let
nature do its thing than
in your garden?” – The Green Girl

Healthy soil is the most important step in pest management, as healthy plants are better suited to withstand disease and insect damage. Artificial pesticides will not only kill your unwanted insects, they can also kill the microorganisms that keep your soil healthy and the earthworms that naturally till and condition the soil. Organic pest control measures are much simpler methods of ridding your garden of destructive insects. In Bob’s garden – which contains a large number of fruit trees and berry plants, ground-covering shrubs, receding perennials and blooms that attract butterflies and birds – he creates a natural balance by introducing non-harmful insects to feed on the harmful ones.

Beneficial insects include ground beetles, ladybugs, fireflies, green lacewings, praying mantis, spiders and wasps. Not only do they keep harmful insects from devouring your plants but they also pollinate your plants and decompose organic matter. Aphids, a common garden pest, can be removed quite effectively by simply spraying the infested stems, leaves and buds with diluted soapy water, then rinsing with clear water.

Plant selection is another key element of maintaining an eco-friendly garden. Choosing drought-resistant plants – usually signified by silver leaves, deep taproots and small foliage – will help you conserve water usage. And planting trees, like Bob’s fruit trees, will provide shade to your garden floor, helping to keep the soil moist. In addition, if your garden is close to your house, larger trees can protect it from the sun’s rays, lowering your cooling bills in the summer.

Bob recommends talking with the professionals at your local garden shop about your organic needs, and he suggests stopping by the Bug Store to purchase insects. He says, “Organic methods are great for gardeners who love nature and who want to live with it, not against it.”


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