WRITTEN BY MOLLY E. SANDWELL

Whether you are designing a full-fledged garden sanctuary or simply planning out a small green space, sustainability is an important aspect of constructing a home garden. But where to begin?

Should you pop in some eco-friendly planter beds? Rip it all out and cover it with rocks and cacti? Dig a well? The solutions are usually far less drastic.

The ways to make your garden more sustainable are actually a lot more basic and rudimentary than you’d think. Read on to discover how to transform your home garden space.

Why Is Sustainability Important?

It is important to use sustainable practices in home gardening to help address climate change. When sustainability is factored into your landscaping and home gardens, it can create a healthier environment for wildlife, reduce carbon emissions and hinder rising temperatures by increasing the carbon storage in plants and soil. A sustainable garden also prepares you for future issues that may arise with a changing climate.

That’s right — sustainable practices make gardens more resistant to climate change. Using practices of climate resilient gardening can ensure your garden flourishes even amongst rising temperatures and more volatile weather conditions.

What Makes a Garden Sustainable?

There are a multitude of ways to make your garden more sustainable, but we’ll keep it simple by sticking to the basics. There are four major ways to grow a more sustainable garden:

• using less water
• using less energy
• planting a diverse native garden, and
• improving soil health

Conserving Water

A sustainable garden will require less water. Water is a limited resource, and as our climate continues to change more severe droughts are more likely to occur. In severe droughts, water restrictions may be put in place to accommodate this — having a water-conscious garden will make coping with these outcomes much easier.

Of the many ways you can decrease your water usage, some of the best ones include choosing drought-tolerant plants that are native to your area. On top of this, you can decrease the need to water frequently by placing mulch around plants to help hold in moisture. Additionally, rain barrels can be used to collect water in times of heavy rains and dispersed later.

Conserving water will help keep this natural resource in good supply in addition to lowering your water bills and saving you time watering those thirsty plants.

Advanced Tip: As more intense storms and flooding are expected to come with a changing climate, prepare for excess water by creating a rain garden, planting vegetation buffers or creating a swale (a shallow ditch or depression to help drain water runoff) to decrease erosion.

Promoting Less Energy Usage

Sustainable gardens should require less energy to maintain. This includes the use of gas-powered equipment like lawnmowers, weed wackers and hedge trimmers. When these tools are needed, try to stick to electric-powered gardening equipment which are rechargeable since gas emissions from gas-powered tools contribute to climate change.

Additionally, be aware that lawns themself are also not the greenest option as they require additional tools to maintain. Try to reduce turf in your garden, opting instead for grass alternatives like groundcover, mulch, garden beds or ornamental grasses. If you do choose to plant grass, try to stick to slow-growing grasses like low-mow fescue so you have to cut them less often.

In summary, a sustainable garden uses less energy by:

• Opting for rechargeable electric-powered tools over gas-powered tools
• Reducing lawn spaces or turf that needs mowing and choosing alternative turf options instead
• Selecting low-mow grasses for lawns

Advanced Tip: Smart planting can also reduce home energy costs. Try incorporating trees into your garden design to naturally shade your home so it requires less artificial cooling in warmer months. 

Contributing to Plant Diversity 

Another way you can make your garden more resilient to climate change and promote sustainability practices is to build more plant diversity. Gardens and landscapes with higher biodiversity have more resilience to pests, diseases and fluctuations in the environment.

Increasing plant diversity through better backyard biodiversity additionally attracts pollinators and helpful insects that benefit gardeners. Be sure to choose plants that are native to your area, steering away from invasive species. Native plants help support native wildlife by providing food and shelter while native perennials will also help to minimize soil erosion and store carbon. 

In summary, cultivate plant diversity in your garden by:

• Selecting a variety of plants to attract helpful insects and pollinators
• Choosing native plants
• Avoiding invasive plants

Advanced Tip: Try to have between 50% to 70% native species in your garden to benefit local wildlife. Like birds? Planting 70% can increase songbird nesting success. 

Improving Soil

Healthy soil will have more protection from erosion, help improve water filtration and be better at retaining water. Always try to improve the health of your soil naturally, as fertilizers are linked to climate change, requiring energy to produce and once deposited often running off into waterways. 

You can better your soil health naturally by adding organic matter to enrich it. This can be done by recycling food scraps and yard waste into your garden. Keep soil healthy by keeping it covered and turning the soil as little as possible. Frequent tilling or digging disturbs the soil food web, disrupting and exposing useful insects and earthworms.

In addition, increasing biodiversity by planting diverse plant species will also support various populations of soil microorganisms underground.

If you do need to add fertilizer to improve soil health, try to stick to natural options. In my area, there is a local mushroom farm that offers free compost to nearby residents. Using options like these instead of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions is a much more planet-friendly option. 

Image by Jonathan Kemper / Unsplash

Final Takeaways

Sustainability is an important feature to consider when taking on any home project and gardening is no different. We’ve covered the top methods to promote sustainability through reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthier ecosystem for both you and the planet. Now, go out and garden with confidence!