How Does Your Garden Grow? Green Your Garden

Though gardens seem inherently green (literally, at least) that may not always be the case. From pesticides to over-watering, gardens can be a strain on the environment, as well as your back. But, when created with some consideration towards ecological harmony, gardens provide enjoyment, color and food, without disrupting nature’s delicate balance.

If you’d like to learn more about how to achieve a healthy, natural garden with a minimum of effort, there are plenty of resources right here in LA to assist you.

First up, the City of Santa Monica is offering a series of classes entitled “How to Green Your Garden.” Beginning on January 17th, each class will focus on a different topic, including:

• Lawn Be Gone: Tips for safe lawn removal, choosing plants to replace lawn and plants for parkways.
• The Dirt on Soil: Your soil is the key to a happy garden. Find out what soil you have and how to improve it.
• Plant Palette: Mediterranean Plants: Choosing climate-appropriate plants from the Mediterranean plant palette that offer a variety of colors, textures and fragrance.
• Water Wise Gardening: I’ve picked my plants but how and when do I water them? Learn the basics of water wise irrigation.
• Veggie Gardens 101: Learn how to incorporate edibles into your garden, including raised vegetable beds and planters.
• Good Bugs, Healthy Plants: Learn which plants attract good bugs and how you can reduce your maintenance and chemical use in the garden.
• No Sweat Gardening: A “green” garden requires 60% less maintenance. Find out how and when to prune your plants, mulching and composting.
• Plant Palette: Native Plants: Choosing climate-appropriate plants from our California native plant palette that offer a variety of colors, textures and fragrance.
• Showers to Flowers: How to use rainwater and gray water to water your garden.

Even if you can’t take advantage of Santa Monica’s classes, the titles of these classes gives you a good starting point on things to consider in creating a sustainable garden.

But what if you need more help? Consider hiring some green thumbs, like Heart Beet Gardening. Founded by Megan Bomba, Kathleen Redmond, and Sara Carnochan two years ago, Heart Beet will come to your house to set up your very own organic garden. They’ll also maintain it for you, all in the name of sustainable agriculture. Heart Beet is even planning their own Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, pairing landowners willing to maintain large vegetable gardens with those who don’t have the luxury of a backyard. If eating local and organic sounds good, check them out!

Photo credit: Sbocaj on Flickr via Creative Commons License