With gardening season upon us, it's time to make our green thumbs really green with eco-friendly fertilizer, natural pesticides, and watering cans full of rainwater. To help us till Mother Earth with compassion, we asked two organic gardening experts for their advice on products and good practices. The following is a roadmap from Scott Meyer, editor in chief of Organic Gardening magazine, and Steve Aitken, managing editor of Fine Gardening magazine. - SUZANNE RYAN
Collect rainwater in a barrel.
"In many areas, tap water has fluoride in it which is not helpful for your plants," said Meyer. "Rainwater is an efficient way to conserve water and give your plants the best water possible. Make sure your barrel has a sealed lid so mosquitoes can't lay their eggs in there."
Use native plants.
"They are naturally suited to the environment and conditions we have in our region so they require less maintenance to nurture along," said Aitken. "That's less feeding, less watering, and less pruning." Check with the New England Wild Flower Society, or newfs.org, for a list of plants.
Start a compost pile.
"This is the one thing that everyone can do to make a difference," said Meyer. "Take scraps from your kitchen that are not meat, like eggshells, coffee grinds, and vegetable peelings. Put them in a pile in your yard with grass clippings and leaves. That pile will decompose and become the best possible fertilizer for your garden."
Don't till your garden.
"Take care of your soil in a natural way," said Aitken. "Instead of digging in the compost, lay it on top of the soil. That creates soil the way mother nature does, from top down. The compost will naturally work itself down over the course of months and years. Then use chopped leaves that have sat around for a year as a mulch. That moderates the soil temperature and holds in moisture. This provides such a healthy environment that you have to do so much less for your plants."
Avoid chemical pesticides.
"The best way to control pests is to rely on the food chain," said Meyer. "Eighty percent of the bugs in a garden are beneficial. Ladybugs are voracious consumers of pest bugs like aphids. Birds eat thousands of insects. An average brown bat eats 1,200 mosquitoes an hour. That's better than any bug spray. Put a bat house in your yard. You're never going to see them. Or put a birdbath in your yard. As birds come to hang around your garden, they will see bugs and eat them. Snakes, toads, and lizards? Leave them alone. They are doing the work for you."
Get rid of your lawn.
"It's an idea that's catching on," said Aitken. "There are low maintenance plants, like thyme, that are just as good if not better than grass and require less effort. You feed grass to get it to grow and then when it grows, you chop it all off. It's a backward way to do things."
Use natural pesticides.
"Pour boiling water on weeds. It kills them," Meyer said. "Or spray vinegar and water on weeds. Garlic and hot pepper spray is good. Spray your plants. When the bugs eat it, it disrupts their feeding and kills them."
Join a community garden.
"Almost all community gardens are organic," said Meyer. "It's very positive for the environment because people take abandoned lots and turn them into productive spaces. You are growing as a group so there is very little food wasted. Many people donate excess food to local food banks."
