When my parents bought their home in 1999, the garden above (and in the other photos below) was an apathetic patch of gray-green grass that went dormant in the winter and brought little joy to neighbors or pedestrians. During their first few years in the house, my parents built a border garden around the grass, erected the shed so they would have someplace to store their tools, and planted a few patches of flowers to brighten up the space. My parents didn’t have the time to do a full-scale lawn renovation; their 260-year old house needed all the attention they could spare.

After they’d lived in New England for a few years, I needed a place to live and moved into a house I’d only ever visited. I had no friends in the area, couldn’t work, and was broke, so I decided to do something productive and tackle the yard. For 2 years I worked nearly 40-hours a week in my parent’s gardens, and paid back their generosity in letting me live there rent-free by making their yard as beautiful, and grass-free as possible.

My parents and I spoke at length about ripping up grass in various parts of their yard, and we all agreed that we would keep a small patch in the backyard so there would always be? a place for children to play. Other than maintaining a small patch of green in the sunniest part of the backyard, my parents let me know that I was free to rip up all the grass I so desired and replace it with flowers and gardens.

I am not alone in my attitude towards grass lawns – environmentalists have been writing about the damage large grass patches wreck on the environment since Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring” in 1962. Carson wrote about the use of pesticides on grass, and how applying these kinds of chemicals caused harm to humans, animals, and ecosystems. And in the years since “Silent Spring” was published, writers, environmentalists, activists and ordinary citizens have raised their voices (and pens) to educate the public about the problems with grass.

Grass is widely prevalent in the US, and according to a NASA-funded DoD study (which I tried to find a source for but, after much searching, as unable to do so), lawns cover approximately 50,000 square miles of land in this country – or a land mass the size of New York State. To kill unwanted plants from growing with grass and maintain the luscious green associated with well-manicured lawns, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals are applied to grass and the soil in which it grows. Water plays a huge role in maintaining grass too, and according to the EPA, approximately one third of all residential US water use goes to landscaping.

So if grass is so bad for the planet, why do so many people devote so much of their energy to its cause, and what can we do to shift away from the practice of planing, feeding, watering, mowing and otherwise maintaining grass lawns? Clearly there’s no one correct answer, and in some instances it’s good to have a little grass in your lawn. I’ll address a few alternatives to planing grass in a future post – in the meantime, think about your relationship with grass – do you enjoy sitting on the grass, do you spend hours each summer weekend mowing and clipping the plant, what would you prefer to grow if you were to rip up all the grass from your lawn…?

You can find out more on the environmental ramifications of grass from the following resources:

Turf War by Elizabeth Kolbert – The New Yorker, July 21, 2008

Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education by Michael Pollan (1991)

AntiLawn: Rethink Your Lawn Blog

From Lawn Addiction to Anti-Lawn Activism – Sustainable Gardening Blog, June 23, 2008

Turf Wars: The Battle Over the American Lawn – The Atavist

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
Mahatma Gandhi

I love to grow food and flowers – doing so makes me happy, productive and grounded. Gardening is an easy way to reconnect with the basics of life – soil, sun, water and plants – and to give back to the Earth, your community and yourself. When you grow food, you give the gift of beauty to your neighbors, you contribute directly to feeding your friends and family, and you live in a more sustainable manner.

Growing your own food is also a good way to reduce your carbon footprint, and most farmers are willing to share what they know to help get you started. In researching seed companies, I was heartened to find that all of the companies I checked out offer information on growing organic and heirloom foods. When you choose to grow organic food, you choose to do more than simply plant a garden – you choose to respect the planet and reduce your negative environmental impact on the land. And each time you choose to consume food that’s grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, ionizing radiation or genetic modification, you choose to place your health and the health of your community above the interests of agri-businesses and corporate food suppliers.

Once fall settles in and my garden is packed away for the winter, I like to spend time going through seed catalogs and looking for plants for next year’s garden. Check out the organic seed suppliers below – each company sells organic and heirloom seeds, tools and supplies to help in building your beds, and resources to help you know all you need to get started.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds is an employee-owned farm in Albione, Maine, that offers a selection of over 300 kinds of organic and heirloom seeds through their mail-order catalog or via their website. While they aren’t 100% organic, Johnny’s does ensure that none of their seeds or plants are genetically engineered, and they are expanding their supply of organic products. And when it comes to selection, Johnny’s offers a diverse array of vegetable, herb, flower, and cover crop seeds (such as oats and wheat).

Seeds of Change is an organic farm and seed supplier that is committed to living organically and offering organic products to the public.? Founded in 1989, the company’s mission is “to help preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture” which they achieve by growing 100% organic seeds, seedlings and food. With a selection of over 600 distinct seeds for home gardeners and 100 distinct seeds for commercial growers, Seeds of Change is dedicated to preserving open-pollinated, organically grown, heirloom and traditional vegetable, flower and herb seeds. Looking around the Seeds of Change website, it’s clear that the company truly believes in the importance of living sustainably, and in harmony with the Earth.

Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply is an organic farm and seed company that supports commercial and home growers by offering a wide selection of organic seeds, and by providing their customers with information on organic farming. With a true desire to educate people about organic farming (the company started out in a garage, and sent out 4-page newsletters to growers), the company’s website has a range of resources aimed at keeping growers informed about farming education, grants, publications and news. Searching for seeds is interesting too, as you can “flip through” the company’s electronic seed catalog and flip from section to section with the interactive navigation tools.

The Natural Gardening Company has been around since 1986, and was the first certified organic nursery in the United States. Offering a selection of organic seeds and seedlings for vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The Natural Gardening Company places a high value on the quality of their seeds, and, like the other growers listed here, does not sell any genetically engineered plants or seeds. You can select from over 50+ different kinds of organic vegetable seeds, and spend the spring sowing endive, okra and collard greens if you’re so inclined.The Natural Gardening Company also sells gardening accessories and offers helpful gardening tips on their site.

If you’ve never grown vegetables, I encourage you to give it a try. You can grow some vegetables in containers on your porch, dig up the grass and plant a big, sunny bed, or drop seeds into an existing flower garden – it’s not how much you grow that matters, it’s that you grow at all.

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Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the US – over 80 million households (3 out of 4) have participated in indoor or outdoor gardening in the last five years. And it’s no wonder – gardening is a family activity that beautifies your living space, connects you to the Earth and lets you grow the flowers, vegetables and plants that you love.

But while gardening may seem to be the ultimate of environmentally friendly activities, you can actually wreck havoc on your ecosystem if you don’t use sustainable practices when building, planting and maintaining your garden beds. By evaluating your gardening practices however, you can conserve water, reduce your use of chemicals and grow plants that work for your community.

The tips below are relatively easy to implement in your home garden and will save you water as the summer heats up and your plants demand more and more to grow their fruits and flowers.

• Install a drip irrigation system in your gardens. By burying drip irrigation hoses at the base of your plants, you allow water to flow directly to the roots and prevent runoff and evaporation that occurs with hand watering and sprinkler systems. Home gardeners can install micro-drip irrigation systems for not too much money – about $40-$100 for every 100 square feet of garden. These systems can also be automated so that your plants are watered evenly and on a set schedule. Check out Alexandra Brandon’s presentation, Installing Drip Irrigation in This Old House to learn step-by-step instructions on installing this kind of system in your gardens.

• Place rain barrels around your yard. Rain barrels allow you to collect excess rain water and use it to water your plants during dry times. Many communities offer rain barrels at discounted prices through their public works departments, you can build your own rain barrel, or you can purchase rain barrels online. Keep in mind that if you install a rain barrel that does not have an attached hose, you will need to haul your water to your garden using buckets. If this is the case, make sure you set up your barrels close to your gardens!

• Learn to love mulch! A good organic mulch, spread about 3 inches thick around your plants, will reduce your need to water and keep your plants hydrated. With mulch covering your soil, you retain water by preventing its evaporation and runoff. When soil is left exposed to the sun and wind, water runs off, blows away or dries up as the sun heats the soil. Mulch keeps your entire garden moist throughout the day, and is also great for cutting down on weeds, and adding nutrients to your beds.

• Grow drought-resistant plants. Plants that tolerate dry times – such as echinacea, irises and rosemary require less water when the summer hits its hottest peak and the rain stops falling. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a great article that explains the benefits of using drought resistant plants in your garden and offers extensive lists of drought tolerant shrubs, perennials, herbs and other plants. Drought tolerant plants are also great alternatives when building gardens in areas with limited rainfall. Make sure you consult your hardiness zone and regional growing requirements when selecting drought tolerant plants.

There are plenty of other ways of greening your garden that I plan on addressing in future posts. In the meantime, let me know what you do to green your gardens – I always like to hear how fellow gardeners manage their beds!