UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County
UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

Sustainable Gardening in Sonoma County

Creating a sustainable and environmentally sound garden for Sonoma County

Sustainable gardening may sound like either a vague or a complicated concept, but it's actually very practical and straight forward. The fundamental idea is to engage in contact with the earth (i.e. your garden) without harming the natural world. 

Sustainable Gardening can be most easily described using the Sustainable Home Gardening Wheel. This Wheel depicts the 6 concepts of Sustainable Gardening. 

The 6 concepts of Sustainable Home Gardening

  1. Choose the right plant for the location. Learn more here.
  2. Practice water conservation and protect water quality. Learn more here.
  3. Nurture the soil with compost and mulch. Learn more here.
  4. Use garden practices that conserve energy and recycle materials. Learn more here.
  5. Solve pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. We call this Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Learn more here.
  6. Create habitats that support birds, bees and other beneficial wildlife. Learn more here.
How to create a sustainable home garden

How to Create a Sustainable Garden

  1. Include plants appropriately selected for garden sites and conditions
  2. Manage available water through appropriate plant selection and irrigating and by preventing rainwater runoff
  3. Nurture the soil ecosystem with composted organic amendments
  4. Recycle materials and avoid excessive use of fossil fuels
  5. Control pests using ecologically sound management methods
  6. Create habitats compatible with native fauna and pollinators

In essence, sustainable gardening depends on an awareness of a plant’s needs and attributes. It preserves and nourishes the vast and critical underground ecosystem that supports all plant life. It recognizes that native fauna have long depended on native plants. It conserves critical but limited resources with an eye on the future. And perhaps most important of all, sustainable gardening values and protects these resources and other life forms without causing harm.

Additional Resources on Sustainable Home Gardening: