Eco-gardening is eco-chic

Homeowners today are more environmentally savvy than ever before, becoming increasingly interested in eco-gardening. To improve your skills, Geoff Palla, head gardener for COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, suggests taking gardening cues from nature. Recognizing the soil food web is a first step. “The soil food web includes the entire community of organisms that make up the soil. It exists anywhere plants are growing. Using sustainable gardening techniques preserves and protects the soil food web instead of killing it.” He says that conventional agriculture doesn’t address this issue. “They view the soil as a sterile medium in which to grow things. First they rototill and that’s the wrong thing to do.” If you’re just breaking ground, you may need to till the soil but there are other things that don’t disturb beneficial microorganisms. Palla prefers to begin with mulch. “I like to mimic nature [where] there is rarely uncovered ground. In a forest or meadow system, you always have some mulch or thatch growing. If you mulch in the fall, you can plant in spring. Tillage is a step backward, so you use it wisely.”
    A California native, Palla started working at COPIA three years ago. “I’m from Santa Cruz. I went to the school of hard knocks, working on farms where I learned a lot.” He is one of four gardeners who manage the 3-1/2-acre edible gardens filled with organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that embody Napa Valley’s rich and distinctive character. COPIA’s gardeners use organic and biodynamic methods, without synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides. They continually experiment with growing methods, harvesting an abundant array of outstanding produce throughout the seasons for use in COPIA’s restaurant, Julia’s Kitchen, as well as in their demonstration kitchen and educational programs.
    Palla says we should all start growing something. “Start with a small success and move on.” If you don’t have the space or sun for a regular vegetable garden, start growing one edible thing, even if it’s just a pot of herbs or cherry tomatoes. As the focus shifts to eating locally produced food, you’ll never eat anything more local than what comes from your own garden. By developing your eco-gardening knowledge and skills, you’ll be having a positive effect on the landscape while making gardening easier on you and your wallet.
    Here are some more eco-gardening techniques:
•    Plan your garden’s layout so that plants are in the best location for optimal growth. This reduces pests, disease and maintenance problems. What doesn’t survive without help (e.g., herbicides and pesticides) is unsustainable anyway.
•    Spot weeds early and remove them before they have time to grow. This eliminates the need for herbicides.
•    Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to water only where it’s needed. Xeriscaping, or landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, can also help you conserve water.
•    Native plants usually perform better with less need for fertilizer, pest control measures and extra irrigation. Many native plants are critical food sources for wildlife. Examples include black-eyed Susan, sunflower, sage and ornamental grasses.
•     Using compost is the easiest and most efficient way to achieve a productive garden. By turning kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and dried leaves into nutrient-rich compost, you’re also significantly reducing the amount of waste in landfills.
 •    If you don’t compost, organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, liquid seaweed and bone meal are just a few of the organic fertilizers available. They last longer, provide steady nutrition for plants and don’t disrupt the soil’s natural chemical balance.
•    Apply mulch to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and help keep soil temperature uniform. Organic mulches such as wood chips, leaves or hay also improve soil fertility. For best results, apply mulch no more than 2 to 3 inches deep in flower and vegetable gardens and 3 to 4 inches deep in landscapes. Leave some space around the base of the plants to allow for good air circulation.
•    Downsize your lawn. Spacious lawns use lots of water. They also require fertilizers, herbicides and mowing. The California Air Resources Board says that using a gasoline-powered lawn mower for one hour produces as much pollution as driving a car 350 miles. With a smaller lawn, you can use a push-mower while you burn a few extra calories. 
•     Teach your children where food comes from. If we’re going to change our habits that impact the planet, we need to inspire our kids to appreciate nature and farming while respecting the planet.

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