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May 30, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Green Scene: Organic Gardening
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
You may have already switched to a smaller car or gone organic at the supermarket, but how green is your lawn? As CBS 3 anchor Susan Barnett reports, the green movement is taking root on America's home turf.
Frank Shorr has been a gardener for the past 25 years, but his gardening approach changed when he became a parent.
"I would be covered with this chemical and with this pesticide, and I didn't really want to transmit that to anybody else, let alone my very small children," said Shorr.
Concerns about the environment are pushing gardeners like Shorr to say, "Not in my backyard!" Going organic is a growing trend.
"An organic gardener works in collaboration with nature," said Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine. "They build soil, they choose plants that are appropriate for the conditions, and they work with nature to create [a] beautiful environment."
Organic gardening isn't new. In fact, Organic Gardening magazine was first published back in 1942! But it is new to many gardeners, so Meyer offers some simple steps.
"If you do nothing else, choose the right plants for the conditions in which you want to plant them in," said Meyer.
Picking native plants means you don't have to give plants extra doses of fertilizer or water. Also, plant in raised beds for better drainage, compost to add nutrients to the soil, and use natural, slow-release fertilizers.
Shorr says he has tried lots of natural solutions, but when squirrels and other big pests go after the tomatoes for his special sauce, he pulls out his secret pesticide: "The best luck we've had so far with pests and production has been dogs," Shorr laughed.
Related Links:
Organic Gardening
Magazine:
http://www.organicgardening.com
Consumer Reports on
Natural Lawn Care:
http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=greener&pcat=homegarden
National Pesticide
Information Center:
http://npic.orst.edu/
EPA's
Greenscaping Brochure:
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/Publications/catalog/greenscaping.pdf
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