BDN interviews Garland about plastic in gardens
The Bangor Daily News spoke with Kate Garland, a horticultural professional with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for the article “Easy ways to ditch plastic in your garden.” Plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade, and only 9 percent of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic ever created has been recycled, the BDN reported. Plastic can be found in many ways in gardening because it is so versatile, but using plastic can allow toxic materials to leach into the environment. One way to help is to replace plastic pots with biodegradable pots and wooden seed trays, the article states. “There’s a lot of great nonplastic containers out there,” said Garland, mentioning CowPots made from cow manure and others made from wood fiber or poultry feathers. “When you go to plant the seedlings in those pots, it’s best if you can peel the pot away from the seedlings. It could impede root growth,” Garland said. A metal watering can is better than a plastic hose, and making your own compost is more sustainable than buying it in plastic bags. “A lot of our soil amendments like compost and fertilizer come in plastic. Consider purchasing soil amendments in bulk,” to reduce the amount of plastic consumed, Garland advised. “A lot of times gardeners use big rolls of black plastic to warm the soil and for weed suppression,” she said, adding UMaine Extension’s demonstration farm is one place working to make the switch to materials like newspaper or cardboard weighed down by mulch. “Wooden stakes and plant markers are another thing to think about. There are a lot of plastic markers out there, but wood is absolutely fine,” Garland said.