Tips for the eco-gardener

These days there's new meaning to the words "green thumb". With concerns about the environment -- not to mention rising utility and food costs -- many avid gardeners are turning their attention to environmentally-friendly practices. Here are some ways to make your outdoor spaces a little greener this year.

Sow specialty seeds

Not all seeds are created equal. To start your plants off right, watch for heirloom, heritage and organic seeds. Organic seeds are untreated, come from organic sources, are open-pollinated and they don't originate from genetically modified strains.

Heirloom and heritage seeds (most of which are organic too) preserve unpolluted varieties of plants and protect the "genetic gene pool" of native plant species. There are thousands of vegetables, herbs, flowers and ornamental plants in Canada. Companies that sell these types of seeds often encourage you to collect your own seeds at the end of the season and exchange them with other like-minded gardeners.

For more information and a list of companies, see the Seeds of Diversity website. If you're wondering what cultivars will work best in your garden, the Heritage plant database has information on over 19,000 heritage plants in Canada.

Go organic

This label doesn't just apply to food or seeds. Organic gardening is taking off as many gardeners want to get away from chemicals and dangerous pesticides for their own health as well as for environment. The goal is to help nature take care of itself with sustainable practices, whether you're growing food, flowers or other greenery. In addition to using organic seeds, other techniques include:

- Improving soil quality using natural materials like manure and organic fertilizers (and skipping the peat too).

- Choosing disease-resistant plants and using seeds that come from disease-free parents.

- Rotating the types of plants grown in a particular area to prevent a build-up of disease organisms.

- Using mulch to prevent disease and retain moisture in the soil.

- Spacing plants to ensure good air circulation and cut down on disease spread.

- Using organic pesticides or herbicides and introducing natural predators to eliminate weeds and pests.

Organic gardening isn't a one-season trend. It's essential to look at the big picture in order to implement many of these techniques because it will take years to see the full effect. For more information, see the University of Missouri Extension's Organic Gardening Techniques.

Compost it

Here's another way we're throwing away our money: According to the Composting Council of Canada, as much as 50 per cent of our waste is organic matter. These nutrient-rich materials go to waste in landfills -- costing our communities money while we pay for commercial chemical fertilizers. In addition to food, yard waste and some materials like wood and tissue can also be "recycled".

There are many good reasons to set up a composter in your yard. When the organic matter breaks down, it provides essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in forms that plants can easily use. The compost slowly releases these nutrients so they're available when the plants need them, not in a one-time flush. In sandier soils, the organic matter will help retain precious moisture. It can also help suppress certain types of plant disease and weeds (and the earthworms like it too).