What is Sustainable Gardening? - By: Jim Kennard

These are important questions, and the answers are 1) not necessarily, 2) & 3) yes, definitely. Let's find out how and why.
Having a sustainable garden means very different things to different people. Some folks are led to believe that a sustainable garden must use only organic materials, because someday the commercially- available mineral nutrients may not be available. Perhaps we should also all ride bicycles, because someday gasoline may not be available.

In my view a sustainable garden means one that can be used productively over an extended period of time, and involves several elements, including the following:
* Growing food you want to eat, which motivates you to continue growing,
* Growing economically, so that it is worthwhile doing, and
* Taking care of health and environmental issues, so you are fed well, and your garden will continue to support healthy crops.

* Growing Food You Want to Eat

First off, choose plants to grow based on what your family wants to eat, and what will grow in your locale. The second part's easy, because most plants will grow under widely varied growing conditions.

Next consider using heirloom seed rather than hybrid if you are very concerned about losing the ability to replace seed each year from commercial sources.

But an easy and inexpensive alternative is to buy triple-sealed heirloom seeds at our website., and store them in a cool dry place.

This will maintain a high germination percentage for up to ten years - or up to 20 years if you keep it in the freezer..

* Growing Productively and Economically

Use the proven high-yield Mittleider Method growing principles and procedures to assure:
1)The highest yields of healthy vegetables
2)From the smallest space,
3)With the least amount of labor, and
4)Financial inputs per unit of production.

By doing this your family can be self sufficient in your food requirements from a small fraction of an acre.

There's lots of evidence of people achieving highly successful sustainable gardens. Excellent examples can be seen at the Food for Everyone website.
Pictures of successful gardens using these methods can also be seen at the free "Mittleider Method" gardening group.

* Caring for health and the environment

Gardening should never injure the land, but rather should improve the land so that it will continue to support healthy plants indefinitely.
Therefore, pesticides and herbicides should be used very judiciously, and only in extreme need.

Whenever possible pests and diseases should be controlled by cultural practices, such as those taught by Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider as follows:

1.Eliminate all weeds from the garden area before planting and keep them out during the entire growing season.
2.Make the growing area ideal for plant growth, but inhospitable to bugs and diseases.
3.Water only the plants' root zone.
4.Begin plants in a protected environment for a fast, healthy and strong start by growing your own seedlings.
5.Feed plants balanced natural mineral nutrients to assure fast and healthy growth.
6.Harvest all plants at maturity to maximize value and avoid allowing pests and diseases to multiply.
7.Discard any bug or disease-infested plant parts away from the garden, and incorporate healthy plant parts into the soil to improve soil structure.

Growing your garden using these sustainable gardening principles and procedures will assure you a great yield of healthy vegetables and give tremendous satisfaction, and even pleasure, for many years to come.

For free instruction on the exact procedures to follow for sustainable gardening success wherever you live visit our websites and read the Learn and FAQ sections.

Successful gardening to you!

About the Author

Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim is also a primary author on the Organic Gardening website How to Organic Garden.

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