"How to Have a Beautiful Garden That Is Easy to Maintain Without the Use of Chemicals."

Many people are discovering the joys of planting and caring for a garden. But few people have the time to grow the large victory gardens their grandparents used to grow. Today's gardener wants an interesting, attractive, low-maintenance garden that also protects the environment and reduces the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

It's easy to have a bounteous, environmentally-friendly garden with just one hour of work each week. But you have to be a smart gardener and prevent problems before they start. Here's a few simple steps:

1. Admire a Large Garden but Plant a Small One. A big garden just means a lot more work. You can grow plenty of flowers, herbs, fruits or vegetables in a manageable 10' x 15' space or less. You can always enlarge your garden later.

2. Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt. A soil rich in organic matter is the key to an easy garden. Test the soil's chemical pH balance and add lime if necessary. Dig a four to six inch layer of compost, shredded leaves, peat moss, dehydrated manure or other organic matter into the soil. Your garden will not just grow, it will thrive.

3. Add a Pound of Worms. Worms are a garden's best friend. They aerate the soil and make it more crumbly by tunneling through it and they leave their own natural fertilizer behind as they go.

You can buy worms at your local bait shop.

4. Feed Your Plants with Natural Organic Fertilizer. Chemical fertilizer is made primarily from natural gas. Organic fertilizer is made from recycled agricultural byproducts like bone and soybean meal. Naturals release their nutrients slowly over the course of the growing season and add valuable organic matter to the soil.

5. Don't Plant So Much. Give your own tender loving care to a few well-chosen herbs, flowers or vegetables. Let your special plants grow lush and beautiful and buy everything else you need at the farmer's market.

6. Install a Soaker Hose to Conserve Water. A drought-busting soaker hose oozes water out slowly so the moisture can seep deep into the soil where it can do the most good. You will conserve precious water resources, save money, and water your garden better than any sprinkler would.

7. Fight Weeds with Organic Mulch. Don't use a toxic chemical herbicide. Smother weeds with a layer of compost, straw, old hay, dehydrated manure or peat moss. Organic mulch helps conserve soil moisture and adds more organic matter to the soil as it decomposes.

8. Control Bugs with Natural Pesticides. Don't use toxic chemical insecticides or fungicides. Beat the bad bugs by attracting bug eating birds and good bugs such as lady bugs and praying mantis. Fool pests with traps and lures. Use non-toxic sprays or powders like Bacillus thuringiensis, dormant oil, diatomaceous earth and beneficial nematodes.

9. Make Compost. Recycle your leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and garden residue to make compost. Return the compost to the garden to enrich the soil, stifle weeds, conserve water and make your garden beautiful.