When we were at worm composting class, someone in the audience asked if the worms would eat seeds in the apple cores that were added to the worm bin. The answer from the instructor, of course, is no.

The question itself is not particularly interesting, but it did make me think about how nature is supposed to work. Consider this: What would happen if all the humans in this area suddenly disappeared? The trees would make their apples. The apples would provide food to a variety of organisms in the environment. The apple would mature, and fall. It may get eaten by a deer, and then the seeds would be deposited elsewhere in the area through the deer’s droppings. In the end of the season, the leaves would fall off the trees, protecting the fallen apples (or the seeds) from winter and nourishing the ground below. In the spring, the soil would warm, the composted leaves would provide nutrients, and the new apple tree would begin to grow from the seeds. This is the way nature is supposed to work, and why the worms can’t eat the seeds – the seeds are designed by nature to survive decomposition in order to propagate the plant the next season.

So what happens when we add people to the mix? The people decide the fallen leaves are ugly. They rake them all up and toss them into their weekly yard collection cans. The yard collection service uses gas and other resources to come collect all the cans. When the spring comes, the plants look weak from a lack of nutrients, so the gardener adds soil amendments, both natural (such as compost that he/she had to drive to the store to get in bagged form) and not (such as chemical fertilizers and weed&feeds). The gardener then has to water the plants because the soil is too weak to hold water efficiently.

So that is what sustainable gardening is, to me … it is allowing the perfect design of nature (the one that came up with the worms not being able to eat the apple seed!) to take its course. Sustainability is not a new idea, it’s just the original concept of nature being applied to modern, everyday homes. Thriving forests don’t have anyone applying Miracle Grow to them in order to stay healthy. Sustainability means taking a cue from nature and learning how to let natural forces run their course by creating a contained system in your own yard.

Try some of these ideas to get started:

• Compost your own grass clippings and leaves. Just rake them into the beds or into a pile in the corner, and watch as it breaks down slowly over time. You’ll save yourself time because you didn’t have to bag them or go buy compost; money and gas because you didn’t have to drive to the store to pick up soil amendments; and utility dollars because the collection truck doesn’t have to come as often.
• Try worm composting. Why throw away all your waste food when you can have worms process it and turn it into amazing fertilizer for your garden?
• Plant with balance in mind. Diversifying your garden makes sense not just to provide variety for you, but to provide a sense of balance for your little ecosystem. Placing certain herbs and flowers throughout your garden can protect your plants by bringing in beneficial insects.
• Try to think holistically. Chemical spot treatments may provide quick fixes, but a well-rounded, long-term plan can provide you with a healthy garden that naturally resists insects and diseases.