Gardeners and do-it-yourselfers, along with the products they use, can be some of the biggest polluters of our environment. With the health of the Chesapeake Bay in danger, it’s time to be a ‘green-conscious’ gardener. Here are some eco-friendly ways to leave a smaller environmental footprint.

Natural compost is the best fertilizer. Beyond compost, natural products such as blood meal, bone meal, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, greensand and rock phosphate are common ways to add organic nutrients to your garden.

Pest control
Natural products are available to fight off pests and diseases and kill weeds, too. Examples of biological pest controls that target specific pests include:

• B.t (Bacillus Thuringiensis): effective on many larval pests such as worms and caterpillars and mosquito larvae.
• Milky Spore (Bacillus popillae): A bacterial that resides in the soil and is fatal to the white grubs that become Japanese beetles.

Active ingredients in natural insect controls often include Neem oil, pyrethrins, canola oil, mild soaps and certain oils among others.

Avoid applying insecticides in the day. Otherwise, neutral and beneficial insects including any pollinators can be killed as well. They are very active throughout the day, starting in early morning. It is crucial to avoid exposing them to insecticides intended only for true pests. If you can’t bring yourself to use more-selective options, then reserve your chemical use for as late in the day or evening as possible, when most pollinators have retired for the day.

Weed control
Herbicides are the generic term applied to chemicals that kill vegetation, either selectively, such as broad-leaf weeds only, or non-selectively, as in everything growing!

Although there are many herbicide products available to the homeowner, few are natural or considered eco-friendly. For serious vegetative control naturally, acetic acid (vinegar) at 20% concentration is an effective, non-selective control. Common household vinegar (5% concentration) lacks the necessary punch.

One of the more interesting discoveries has been the use of corn gluten as an organic pre- emergent herbicide. Today, corn gluten is the only organic, readily available consumer product used for pre-emergent weed control. A bonus to using corn gluten is that it has a 10% nitrogen component so natural nutrients are applied as well.

Of course the most eco-friendly option to controlling weeds is to promote the growth of a healthy lawn and garden. A lush lawn or full beds will go a long way to out-competing fledgling weeds. Mulching your beds will help conserve water and limit weed growth.

Recycle and conserve

Our most valuable natural resource, and one that is becoming scarcer by the day, is water. Rain barrels are an effective and easy way to collect gallons of rain from downspouts. In times of watering restrictions, having an irrigation source on constant standby is a welcome resource! Barrels can now be found at many garden centers as well as in gardening catalogues and online mail-order sources.
Creating an eco-friendly garden is something everyone can do to promote sound environmental stewardship of our precious natural resources.