Organic gardening is like celebrating Earth Day every day of the year. One can't garden organically without developing a deep love of the Earth and a profound respect for the creatures that inhabit it.

For some of us, organic gardening grew from a desire to "green" our lifestyle, to have a more positive impact on the world around us. For others, gardening became more meaningful; it makes no sense to avoid chemicals in our food but burn fossil fuels with abandon in other areas of our lives. Either way, the result is that we begin to tread more lightly on this planet.

If you've considered starting an organic garden, or would like to get your garden off of synthetic chemicals, but don't know where to start, give these five simple actions a try. Do one, do three, do all five---any of them will have a positive impact.

1. Compost your kitchen scraps and yard waste. If you've never composted before, check out this video for a quick primer. And, if you think you don't have enough room to compost, check out my article on small-space composting.


2. Make just one new garden bed, and vow to grow your own produce there. Eating tomatoes, lettuce, or beans grown in your own back yard is a luxury that soon becomes addictive. And, it's good for the planet: instead of driving to the store to purchase vegetables (probably grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers) that have been trucked hundreds of miles, all you have to do is step out your back door. Don't know where to start in making a new garden? Take a peek at my articles about building an easy raised bed garden, or, even easier, making a lasagna garden.


3. Practice green lawn care. Lawns get a bad rap ecologically because of all of the water and chemicals we use to keep them looking great. You can have a beautiful lawn without harming the Earth. Here's how.


4. Mulch something! If you have bare soil in your garden, chances are that you're wasting precious water trying to prevent your plants from drying out. You're probably also spending a lot of time, and maybe using chemicals, keeping those beds weed-free. Mulch your beds, and improve your water bill, save time, and make your garden happy!


5. Treat pests and diseases without using chemicals. The arsenal many people use to "battle" garden pests and diseases is overkill. The vast majority of common garden issues have organic solutions.

So, get out there and get your hands dirty in celebration of our planet. Happy Earth Day!