Eco-friendly and nonexploitative –– that's just another way of saying healthy for humans and good for the Earth. The goals of veganic gardening –– gardening without the use of any animal products –– can seem intimidating to beginners, but break it down into the main principles, and it's easy to be a veganic gardener, especially if you follow four easy tips:
1. Attract Bees
Honeybees are the key to a veganic gardener’s success. Attract honeybees to your garden by planting flowers they love, alongside your fruits and vegetables. Honeybees love lavender, bee balm, peony, and milkweed. Mint and sage are two herbs that bees love as much as humans do. Nasturtiums, zinnias, and black-eyed Susans add a pop of color to your garden while attracting the bees. The more you encourage bees to make themselves comfortable in your garden, the more they will go about pollinating and helping your vegetables grow into something you can put on the table.
2. Composting Is King
Chemical fertilizers, while rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate, can burn your skin on contact, and they’re obviously not organic. Animal fertilizers, such as manure, are animal byproducts and therefore not vegan. So what’s the vegan option? Veganic gardeners get great results by using plant products, such as hay, to mulch and add nutrients to the soil.
Your compost from a vegan kitchen is essential for fertilizing a veganic garden. If you're new to veganism or live with someone who's not vegan, make sure you separate all animal products from any kitchen scraps you compost. Composting requires three things — the “brown” or leaves and twigs from the outdoors, the “green” or scraps from your kitchen, and water. Add a little time, and some turning over, and it's an Earth-friendly way to fertilize your garden, without the chemicals contained in mass-market fertilizers.
3. Strike a Natural Balance
There’s no pest-killing allowed in veganic gardening. Pesticides not only kill their intended targets, but they also harm unintended living beings as well. That doesn't mean you're at the mercy of plant-eating insects though. Veganic gardeners promote a natural balance of predators and prey that live among the vegetables. If you have aphids, you can introduce ladybugs. If birds are raiding your garden, a scarecrow or fake owl may keep them away. Companion planting is another way to protect your fruits and vegetables. Basil and borage should be planted next to tomatoes to repel tomato hornworms. A few marigolds in your vegetable garden will attract the bees and wasps that pollinate your plants and eat other leaf-eating insects.
4. No Weed-Killing Chemicals
Consider the lawsuit filed by DeWayne Johnson, a school groundskeeper. He sued Monsanto, alleging that his cancer was due to protracted exposure to Roundup weed killer on the job. The jury awarded him $298 million in August 2018. Monsanto is appealing, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency still says that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other weed killers, is safe if used properly. But if you’re not willing to take a chance, remove all weeds by hand.
Veganic gardening is an excellent and sustainable way to support your already environmentally friendly lifestyle. It can not only lead you to a healthier diet but to a better understanding of the Earth and its creatures. These four easy tips for veganic gardening should lead you to take a close look at what you're planting and the purpose it serves. You'll also have peace of mind about the way your food is produced.
