We’ve entered that special time of the year when the smell of lilacs fills the air, when trees and bushes explode in pink, yellow and white blossoms, and when gardens need your love and attention after another long winter. For those of us who love gardening, now is the time that we pull out our wheelbarrows and rakes, map out where we want to plant new flowers, and get our hands dirty working in beds.

In caring for our gardens however, it’s important to consider how your actions are impacting the environment. While it seems contradictory that your gardening activities could have a negative impact on the earth (you are gardening after all), you might be surprised to find out how many seemingly innocent products and practices are actually eco-adverse.

By incorporating a few “green” practices into your gardening habits, you can create a more healthy outdoor ecosystem and have a truly “green” garden this season. And while you may have to compromise a little bit (after all, it’s hard to have perfect green grass if you don’t use chemicals on your lawn), but at the end of the summer you’ll feel better about your yard and have reduced your negative enviromental impact on your own land.

Change your Mowing Habits

For a nation trying to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and petroleum, Americans use an awful lot of it when mowing their lawns. There’s no need to power mowers with petrol however, and one way to reduce your footprint is to go petroleum-free when it comes to your lawn. If you have a small patch of grass, consider investing in a push-mower. Clean Air Gardening offers several types that range in price from $109 for a Scotts Classic Reel Push Mower to $1300 for a?Putting Green Reel Mower that provides that manicured and finished look found on golf course.

If you have a larger yard, try buying an electric lawn mower instead of one that runs on gas. Electric mowers still require the use of electricity and power cords, however, they only consume about $5 in electricity annually. Additionally, electric mowers are quiet and don’t contribute to the buzz-saw sound of gas mowers that’s often prevalent on warm weekend afternoons. Sears has electric mowers that range from $160 for the Black and Decker 18 inch Electric Mower, to $239 for the Craftsman 19 inch Premium Electric Mower.

Mulch, than Mulch Some More!

Mulch is a great water saver in the garden as it prevents water from evaporating, keeps your plants’ roots cool, and holds water for longer, therefore requiring that your water your plants less often. Mulch also gives your beds a well-kept and finished look, and improve your soil by adding organic matter to your mix. Learn more about the benefits of mulching by visiting The National Resources Conservation Service.

Buy Heirloom Plants and Seeds

Not all seeds are created equal – especially when some of those seeds have been genetically modified in a lab! When planting a garden, consider only using heirloom seeds and plants – those that were introduced before 1951, when plant breeders introduced hybrid plants developed from inbred lines. Heirlooms are old, open-pollinated plants, and have not been altered by science.

Many people also feel that heirloom fruits and vegetables taste better and are easier to grow than fruit and vegetables from hybrid plants. Regardless, when you grow heirlooms you are growing the same plants that your grandparents grew, and contributing to an environment filled with naturally-propagated plants instead of those created in a lab.

Go Organic!

When growing vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees, there is no need to add chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. You can still produce a bumper crop of tomatoes or prize-winning flowers without dumping chemicals into the ground. Check out these tips for organic pest control from Organic Garden Pests, or Extremely Green’s Organic Pest Control Guide. Remember too, whatever you dump on your herbs, fruits and vegetables will eventually make its way back to you – so think twice before pouring Miracle Gro or other chemical foods and fertilizers all over your gardens.

I hope these simple tips will help point you in the right direction this spring. There are tons of other green gardening tips out there that I can’t address in one post – keep tuned though and I will try to bring you more tips for the garden as we get deeper and deeper into this beautiful non-winter weather. Happy Gardening!

• The Green Home: A Lawn as Healthy as It Looks
• Google Mows With Goats
• How green is your garden?
• Some Useful Organic Vegetable Gardening Tips

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!