Five easy steps to earth friendly gardening

(NC)—What better way to celebrate spring than by creating a beautiful, eco-friendly garden. With a few simple practices and some help from the latest innovative gardening products you can enjoy your own private oasis and do what is right for the environment too. Consider the following "green" gardening suggestions from The Home Depot Canada:

1. Cut Out the Chemicals
Wean your garden off all synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. These substances promote rapid but weak plant growth, destroy soil fertility and are toxic to humans, wildlife and beneficial insects. Even organic chemicals are toxic, so use them as a last resort.

2. Use Water Wisely
To reduce water use, amend container soil with SoilSpongeTM, an all natural soil conditioner that adds up to 7 days between waterings. Disconnect your downspouts from the sewer system and direct water into garden beds or a rain barrel. "It is good practice to use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers, and water early in the morning," says John Mansz, The Home Depot Canada's gardening expert.

3. Feed Your Soil Naturally
Plants thrive in healthy soil. Add compost or composted manures to your soil early in the spring, whenever you plant or transplant, and again in mid-summer. "Compost adds organic matter to the soil, aids in water retention and promotes biological activity," says Mansz.

4. Choose an Alternative to Peat Moss
A peat bog is a highly specialized ecosystem that removes carbon dioxide from the air, is home to many rare and important plant and animal species and acts as a cleansing watershed filter. Damage from the removal of peat from bogs takes hundreds of years to heal. New PeatEliminatorTM, made from cocofibre, a coconut byproduct, improves drainage, soil aeration and friability and is the ideal pH for nutrient uptake. (Available at leading garden centres including The Home Depot.)

5. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch, and Mulch Some More
A thick layer (8-10cm) of shredded bark, bark chips, grass clippings or shredded leaves spread on top of your garden soil will retain moisture, deter weeds and add needed organic matter to the soil. "Spread mulch in the spring after the soil thaws and again in late fall after the soil begins to freeze," says Mansz "Keep mulch 8 cm away from plant stems."

For more eco-friendly gardening tips, visit The Home Depot's Garden Centre in your local community.

- News Canada