Creating a sustainable vegetable garden is an eco-friendly way of growing food and helping the environment at the same time.
Sustainable gardening practices will provide immediate results this growing season and will continue to provide benefits in the future.
It’s a forward-thinking way of gardening that will allow you to reap a harvest of fresh vegetables year after year while leaving the earth in better shape than you found it.
Use these 5 tips for a sustainable vegetable garden so your next generation can enjoy the same homegrown goodness that you enjoy today.
I love the idea of sustainability and the concept of harvesting
Heirloom Seeds
Plant heirloom seeds in your vegetable garden so you will have pure food that produces seeds that can be saved and replanted year after year.
Heirloom seeds are non-hybrid, non-GMO, and are open-pollinated so the desirable characteristics of the parent plant will be passed on. True heirloom seeds will also come from plants that have been grown organically.
Heirloom seeds are easy to save from homegrown vegetables for re-planting and will produce plants and vegetables that are naturally hardy.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is needed to keep the soil fertile and free from
Use the ‘three year rule’ for sustainable garden practices by not planting the same (or similar) vegetables in the same location for three years.
This three-year break will allow the soil to replenish depleted nutrients and help prevent soil parasites, like nematodes, from multiplying and destroying crops.
Natural Water Source
A vegetable garden will need lots of water throughout the growing season, making a sustainable and steady water source is essential.
Rain barrels or a similar type of rainwater catchment system is ideal for sustainable vegetable gardening.
Catching the rainwater run-off from your home’s roof will provide enough water to keep a
Compost Bin
Create some type of compost bin or pile to recycle all garden, yard and kitchen waste in nutrient-rich plant foods.
Compost is decomposed organic matter that is added to garden soil to increase fertility, promote drainage, prevent soil compaction and improve soil structure.
With the regular addition of compost, food can be grown in the same soil indefinitely.
You can check out my other article about how to compost kitchen waste here.
Organic Mulch
Top garden soil off with a few inches of organic mulch to prevent weed growth, moisture loss and to act as organic pest control in the garden.
Organic mulch, like straw or wood chips, reduces the amount of water needed by plants and eliminates the need for chemical pest control at ground level.
The organic mulch will decompose and improve soil structure too.
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