Encourage Diversity With What You Plant

Complex interactions take place in a garden. Plants and critters pull nutrients from many sources and every action has an effect on the ecosystem. Gardeners will never be able to understand or control everything that is going on. But a prudent approach is to enhance diversity through your plant choices and growing techniques.

Each plant will provide habitat and food for different creatures. Try to grow the greatest variety of plants possible. Consider plants that are:

• tall and short
• perennial and annual
• deep- and shallow-rooted
• flowering in different months and in different colors
• seedy, fruity, rooty and airy

By focusing on diversity, you will encourage natural responses to garden problems. Did you know…

• Diverse food sources will encourage beneficial insects to make their home in your garden, keeping down bad bugs.
• Crop rotation will keep soil fertility from being depleted.
• Use of “companion planting” can further strengthen your ecosystem health.