Grow More With Less: Sustainable Garden Methods

1066 Pages·2013·33.7 MB·English

by  Vincent A. Simeone

GROW MORE
WITH LESS
VINCENT A. SIMEONE
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 — ECO-FRIENDLY STRATEGIC
PLANNING FOR YOUR GARDEN
CHAPTER 2 — THE RIGHT PLANT FOR THE
RIGHT PLACE
CHAPTER 3 — ATTRACTING WILDLIFE TO
ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE GARDEN
CHAPTER 4 — INTEGRATED PEST
MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 5 — WATER CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 6 — SUSTAINABLE LAWN CARE
CHAPTER 7 — MAINTAINING A HEALTHY
GARDEN FROM THE GROUND UP
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GARDEN RESOURCES AND PLANT SOURCES
INDEX
MEET VINCENT A. SIMEONE
Introduction
Sustainable Gardening: Grow
More with Less
T
he term sustainability is a catchy
phrase that has garnered a lot of attention
the past few years. But unlike many
catch phrases, sustainability has
substance, credibility, and the potential
to change life as we know it. For those
who accept sustainability as a way of
life, it will undoubtedly pay long-term
dividends. Sustainability is a complex
issue that affects every facet of our lives.
But sustainability requires an investment
of time and resources that will yield
positive results over years to come. This
commitment of time, hard work, and
patience is a worthwhile effort that
reduces the impact that we as human
beings have on our environment. Like
many worthwhile endeavors,
sustainability offers us a chance to lead
a responsible, healthy life and provide
an example for others to learn from.
Environmental destruction is one of
several reasons why sustainability has
become such an important issue for so
many. Human nature is to advance both
intellectually and physically and that
means more building, more consumption,
and more resources needed. This
progress comes with a price, though,
usually at the cost of the environment. In
the past while we built roadway
systems, housing developments,
shopping malls, and resorts, the long-
term impact to the environment was
often not considered or anticipated. But
that is slowly changing and everything
from large developments to residential
homes has the ability to become more
sustainable.
For the home gardener, the
sustainability movement has taken giant
steps forward over the past decade. The
concept of becoming more
environmentally sensitive to the natural
world around us has gained momentum
to the point where it now seems to be an
unavoidable, irresistible force. It’s no
revelation that many of us have been
unknowingly practicing sustainable
living for many years without even
realizing it. The difference is that today,
sustainability isn’t just an option
anymore; it truly is a necessary way of
life. The days of casually practicing
sustainable living when it is convenient
are in the past. The time has come to
embrace sustainability as an everyday
part of life.
But sustainability is a relative and
subjective term that can mean different
things to different people. Sustainability
will be influenced by many factors
including economics, size and
complexity of your property, climate,
and available resources. It is difficult to
put a specific definition on the term with
the idea that it will apply to all, or even
most, situations that we encounter daily.
Because we live in such a dynamic,
changing environment with an incredibly
diverse population, sustainability will
need to change and adapt along with us
as a society. In order to successfully
create a more sustainable environment,
we must understand what it takes to