How to Grow a Sustainable Garden at Home
Wise Words: Natural-gardening guru Grant Minkhorst inspires green thumbs to get growing with native plants and environmentally beneficial practices.
By Nicole Keen | Illustrations by Maya Nguyen
A light-hearted, practical approach to gardening and sustainability is what earned Grant Minkhorst a loyal following on Instagram (@thegardeninggrant) and TikTok (gardeninggrant). Minkhorst, who is currently training to become a Toronto Master Gardener (TMG), shares with CAA Magazine a wealth of knowledge and experience, urging green thumbs of every skill level to dig in. His passion is a “messy” eco-friendly garden filled with native plants and perennials.
Did you know…there’s an easy way to find out if a certain plant is native to your area? The non-profit BONAP (Biota of North America Program) is a great resource. “You can put any plant in [their database] and it will [show] you the range map of where it is indigenous.” Grant Minkhorst
If someone is looking for perennial garden ideas, where is a good place to start?
Part of sustainable gardening is making sure you include a really healthy [proportion] of native plants in your garden — 70 percent should be native plants, shrubs and trees that will support [local] wildlife. With the remaining 30 percent, you can kind of run amok with peonies, tulips and roses.
What are some other best practices for eco-friendly gardening?
Collecting rainwater in a rain barrel is a great way to manage water use [as is] installing a drip irrigation system, which is much better for the environment than overhead watering. And then, choose plants that are drought-tolerant.
How do you manage pests in an eco-friendly garden?
I don’t like referring to insects as pests. I like to refer to them more as partners because they are really important for pollination! If you [plant] a berry-producing shrub, like a snowberry or a serviceberry, birds will [be attracted to] your house because you have nesting sites for them as well as food. The berries will also bring them to the yard to eat caterpillars. If you create this kind of interconnectedness, you’re going to have all these natural predators who will inevitably protect your ornamental plants and your vegetable crops.
How can you get the most out of a shorter growing season?
One of the things I like to teach online is winter sowing. A lot of native plants in northern regions require a cold stratification period in order to germinate. I use trays and [plastic] berry clam shells and I put potting soil in there. And then I will [add] some native seeds. You literally just leave your little sowing containers out in the snow, and then in the springtime they'll germinate and you can plant them.
When it comes to adding interest throughout the year, what are some other perennial garden ideas?
There are lots of native evergreens like creeping juniper and arborvitae (cedar hedges) that will provide greenery all year round.
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If someone is looking for perennial garden ideas, where is a good place to start?
Part of sustainable gardening is making sure you include a really healthy [proportion] of native plants in your garden — 70 percent should be native plants, shrubs and trees that will support [local] wildlife. With the remaining 30 percent, you can kind of run amok with peonies, tulips and roses.
What are some other best practices for eco-friendly gardening?
Collecting rainwater in a rain barrel is a great way to manage water use [as is] installing a drip irrigation system, which is much better for the environment than overhead watering. And then, choose plants that are drought-tolerant.
How do you manage pests in an eco-friendly garden?
I don’t like referring to insects as pests. I like to refer to them more as partners because they are really important for pollination! If you [plant] a berry-producing shrub, like a snowberry or a serviceberry, birds will [be attracted to] your house because you have nesting sites for them as well as food. The berries will also bring them to the yard to eat caterpillars. If you create this kind of interconnectedness, you’re going to have all these natural predators who will inevitably protect your ornamental plants and your vegetable crops.
How can you get the most out of a shorter growing season?
One of the things I like to teach online is winter sowing. A lot of native plants in northern regions require a cold stratification period in order to germinate. I use trays and [plastic] berry clam shells and I put potting soil in there. And then I will [add] some native seeds. You literally just leave your little sowing containers out in the snow, and then in the springtime they'll germinate and you can plant them.
When it comes to adding interest throughout the year, what are some other perennial garden ideas?
There are lots of native evergreens like creeping juniper and arborvitae (cedar hedges) that will provide greenery all year round.
A light-hearted, practical approach to gardening and sustainability is what earned Grant Minkhorst a loyal following on Instagram (@thegardeninggrant) and TikTok (gardeninggrant). Minkhorst, who is currently training to become a Toronto Master Gardener (TMG), shares with CAA Magazine a wealth of knowledge and experience, urging green thumbs of every skill level to dig in. His passion is a “messy” eco-friendly garden filled with native plants and perennials.
Did you know…there’s an easy way to find out if a certain plant is native to your area? The non-profit BONAP (Biota of North America Program) is a great resource. “You can put any plant in [their database] and it will [show] you the range map of where it is indigenous.” Grant Minkhorst