It’s Gardening Season: Eco-Friendly Tips

By Peter Aronson

As spring gardens begin to bloom, it’s a perfect time to think not just about what we plant, but how we plant. Our backyards, community plots, and window boxes are more than places of beauty and nourishment — they are powerful tools in the fight against climate change. Thoughtful, sustainable gardening practices can help restore habitats, support pollinators, reduce carbon emissions, and make a real difference for our planet.

At the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, we believe that every small action matters. That’s why we’re sharing practical tips to help you garden in ways that are healthier for the environment and more resilient in the face of a changing climate.

Here’s how you can make your garden more sustainable and eco-friendly:  

• Water less or not at all
• Mow less or not at all
• Plant only or mostly native plants, or allow existing native plants to proliferate
• Research what native plants and fruits and vegetable are best for your area
• Don’t use harmful chemicals in the garden
• During the fall/winter, reduce or eliminate trimming plants back
• Compost and use the compost to create healthier soil

All these simple steps will conserve resources and allow native plants to proliferate in greater abundance, which in turn creates a healthier and more abundant natural environment for local birds, butterflies and all insects, thereby enhancing the local habitat and the pollination process.

In other words, what’s there, let it grow.

GreenAmerica.org provides detailed suggestions for beginners and seasoned gardeners. For beginners, it provides an outline for planning and setting goals (ie, size and location of garden), planting basics (ie, what to grow and how to grow it [raised bed or in the ground?]), importance of soil health (ie, using compost) and garden maintenance tips (ie, how much to trim in fall/winter).

Experts say using native plants in your sustainability plan is key, as they are the linchpin for an eco-friendly garden. It makes sense, too, if you think about it. Native plants are the hardiest in a local environment, because, well, they are there and thriving, and they are the most adaptive for local birds, animals and insects. In other words, the plants and all the critters around it have learned, over time, to cohabitate together and benefit from each other. 

The National Wildlife Foundation (NWF), emphasizing the importance of native plants to the health and function of a local ecosystem, provides a plant tracker where you can enter your zip code and learn about the most beneficial plants native to where you live. Bountiful pollination is the key motivator.

“Pollinators help over 90% of the world’s flowering plants create fruits and seeds,” the NWF states on its website. “Without them, plant communities world-wide would collapse. Many people think of honey bees when they think of pollinators, but there are many different types of pollinators, including ants, bats, native bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, moths, and wasps.”

Good Housekeeping out of the UK provides in depth and sensible gardening tips from their gardening-mad country, including planting bee and bird friendly plants and using less plastic in all gardening activities. They recommend making biodegradable seedling pots out of old newspapers.  

An article in Hudson Valley Magazine calls this effort “embrac[ing] chaos to welcome pollinators,” allowing native plants and grasses to proliferate and grow more wildly. They encourage shrinking your lawn to allow more grass and plant growth and encouraging local nurseries to stock more native plants. Finally, they say an 80/20 ratio of native plants to non-natives is a good goal.

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture started the People’s Garden program, named in honor of USDA’s founder, President Abraham Lincoln, who described USDA as “The People’s Department.” Their tips for sustainable gardening can be found here.

It’s important to keep in mind that gardening is supposed to be relaxing and fun, getting us all outdoors to enjoy and appreciate the environment. 

Peter Aronson, a volunteer writer at the New York League of Conservation Voters since September 2022, is a former journalist and retired attorney. He is the author of Mandalay Hawk’s Dilemma: The United States of Anthropocene, a novel for middle-grade readers about kids fighting global warming. Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, wrote: “A scathing work and an essential blueprint for youth battling climate change.” To read more about Peter, visit his website www.peteraronsonbooks.com or to purchase his book, click here.