Ilsa Setziol
August 18, 2008
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More and more people are shopping at farmers markets, looking for food that's fresher and eco-friendlier. Others have gone a step further: growing their own food. But is home gardening really good for the Earth? In the first of two reports, Ilsa Setziol says, it depends on how you go about it, especially when it comes to water.
Ilsa Setziol: The Bronson family's patio, in a neighborhood near L.A.'s Highland Park, used to be an unrelenting stretch of concrete. Earlier this year, they ripped out some of it, then put in a trio of 3-by-5 containers.
Now they're bursting with fruits and vegetables: a 5-foot tall heirloom tomato displays fruits bigger than your fist; wispy chives shelter under it. Beneath a pyramid of leaves, melons are protected in cradles made from pantyhose. Two-year-old Maris is eager to show off the garden.
Maris Bronson: Potatoes!
Setziol: And what else do you like?
Maris Bronson: Salad.
Setziol: Maris's mom Jessica says the garden is part of a larger effort to make their lives more environmentally sensitive.
Jessica Bronson: Our idea for it began with an increasing interest in trying to be more self-sustaining, and also to be more aware of where things come from, and producing a local economy.
Setziol: Jessica Bronson says their small garden has attracted a lot of birds and bees. And it's kept their patio cool. They practice organic gardening, so they don't use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
But with the state in a drought, should we be pouring water on gardens? Most of our water is imported, and pumping it long distances uses a lot of energy. Indeed, state officials estimate nearly 20 percent of all the power used in the state goes to transport and treat water.
Peter Gleick: So if water for gardens means a lot of new water has to be moved from one place in California to another, that's not a great idea.
Setziol: Peter Gleick heads the Pacific Institute, a research group.
Gleick: But, if instead, we could figure out how to reduce our wasteful uses of water in Southern California and use some of that water to grow food instead, that's not a bad idea.
Setziol: Gleick says, to find wasted water, you don't have to look farther than the end of your garden hose.
Gleick: The largest irrigated crop in the United States is lawn, and that lawn uses a huge amount of water. It's ornamental, it's not necessary.
Setziol: Horticulturalist Lili Singer says ripping out lawn is a good place to start.
Lili Singer: If you're taking out grass, or azalea, or some other water needy thing, that you take out and put in your vegetable garden, yes, you may be using the same amount of water as some of the ornamental plants, but you're getting more out of it.
Setziol: I asked Singer to visit my backyard garden. Wearing a broad-brimmed staw hat, she crouches down to watch a bee tunnel into a large, yellow zucchini flower.
Singer: A lot of plants need a lot less water than people give them. So really thick mulch, we're talking at least 4 inches of mulch around the plants, will hold water in, so you're not using as much.
Setziol: Are there certain plants that are good choices for Southern California gardens, that aren't too water hungry?
Singer: Well, a lot of the herbs. There's rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sages, are all very drought tolerant. In terms of the quick growing annual things, like a pumpkin, or beans, or squash, they're doing so much production in such a short period of time, they are going to need more water. Zucchinis can take water almost every day, but the amount you get.
Setziol: Andy Lipkis, president of the environmental group TreePeople, suggests other ways to be water smart in the garden.
Andy Lipkis: You can water with drip irrigation, so you cut down in that case sometimes 60 to 80 percent of your water use, because you're putting drippers right where your roots are.
Setziol: Lipkis sits next to a miniature creek, part of a TreePeople model that demonstrates more sustainable water use.
Lipkis: You can move to the next step, which is to start harvesting your gray water. If you have a washer/dryer, you can take the hose from your washer and extend it right to your garden. If you can't get it there, you could have it fill some buckets.
Setziol: If you go this route, you should learn about local gray-water ordinances, such as requirements to put the water into the ground, instead of spraying it. And, Lipkis says, your plants will be happier if you use environmentally friendly detergents. There are many other ways to be green in the garden.
To reduce the need for pesticides, grow a variety of flowering plants, including natives such as ceonothus. They attract ladybugs and other insects that eat pests. Also, let your flowers go to seed, so birds will move in and eat both seeds and insects. Tomorrow, we'll examine another tool for environmentally friendly gardens: composting.
