10 Sustainable Gardening Techniques That Let Nature Do The Work For You

Anyone lucky enough to have outdoor space knows the wonder that gardens can bring: fragrant plants, curious wildlife, and maybe some fresh herbs, fruits, and veggies. Beyond that, our yards can also be managed in ways that benefit surrounding ecosystems and the world at large.

"If we look at our home plots as this refuge for nature and wildlife, and we can start connecting those dots, then we can create these living greenways that act and behave like a natural system that sequesters carbon and supports biodiversity," Emily Murphy, an organic gardener and the author of Grow What You Love, tells mbg.

Consider this an endorsement for lazy gardening: By stepping aside and letting nature take its course, working with its cycles and not against them, we can cultivate sustainable outdoor spaces where wildlife of all kinds can thrive. In return, these visitors will do what they do best: keep our air, soil, and water clean, healthy, and buzzing with activity.

While a yard full of roses will look lovely, it won't do much in the way of drawing in biodiversity. Murphy always recommends adding some natives to the mix, too. "I try and encourage people to swap out some low-functioning ornamentals for 50% native plants because they're adapted to native wildlife; they've co-evolved," she says.

The Audubon's Native Plant Database and Lady Bird Johnson's Wildflower Finder are good resources for finding plants that are native to your area. Choose a few different varieties to keep things visually interesting and help prevent pest issues.

"If you have a lot of plants for all the animals, then it takes the pressure off any one particular food source," says Nancy Lawson, naturalist and author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife.

Wildlife seeks out habitats where they can eat and not be eaten. Protection from predators and sources of food are the name of the game, and large swaths of manicured lawn or turf provide neither.

In addition to being less appealing to wildlife, lawns are also a resource suck; homeowners tend to use 10 times more pesticide and fertilizers per acre on their lawn than farmers do on their crops, in addition to plenty of water and gas-powered mowers and leaf blowers.

You might be surprised by what comes up when you resist the urge to mow the lawn you do have left. The popular "no-mow" movement in Europe is a testament to the fact that hundreds of species of dynamic plants and animals—including some endangered ones—can find their way to wild patches.

"Plants have been growing for hundreds of millions of years—most of that time without us," says Lawson. "If you have a space like mine, which is a couple of acres, you could even just let some patches go and see what comes up."

Most potting soils owe their acidity and moisture retention to peat—an organic matter that builds up in wetlands over centuries. There are some environmental concerns with the material since it's slow to grow and its extraction process disrupts a productive but fragile ecosystem. (Wetlands provide important eco-services1 like water filtration, carbon storage, and erosion protection.)

By diverting food and garden scraps, composting helps prevent greenhouse gas emissions that occur when organic matter decays in oxygen-starved landfills. And it leaves you with a nutrient-rich fertilizer to boot.

While the gardening purist in us might be tempted to disperse the first inkling of a leaf blanket, Lawson says that letting leaves decay naturally is ultimately better for yard critters. "We wouldn't have a lot of our butterflies if we didn't have leaves and places for the caterpillars to overwinter," she says.

While pesticides can be effective at preventing unwelcome visitors, they tend to deter all types of pests—even the beneficial ones. Their chemicals can also end up contaminating soil, leading to a garden that's less productive (and potentially an environment that's more polluted).

Before you reach for synthetics, try to work with nature's natural pesticides first: companion plants. These specialized plant pairings can help provide what the other lacks. When growing edible plants, look into the best companion plants to place next to them to deter pests, discourage weeds, and balance out soil nutrients.

The wonderful world of beneficial companion planting is also a reminder that, as North Carolina–based organic grower Ashlie Thomas, puts it, "We're all playing catch-up with nature."

The budding field of biopesticides5 emulates these natural processes in nature but gives them a little extra oomph in the lab.

"Biological technology involves going out into nature and finding active compounds and ingredients and bacteria and microbes, and discovering how Mother Nature is creating disease protection and pest protection," says Vanessa Dawson, founder and CEO of the new organic biologicals company Arber. They sell fertilizers made from grocery store food waste scraps and fungicides, insecticides, and biocides that use bacteria to protect indoor and outdoor plants.