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Nurturing Gardens with Clean Water

This is a list of Evergreen Thumb episodes related to Clean Water. The WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer program teaches integrated pest management to minimize polluted runoff.

Clean water is vital to our health, communities, and economy. We need clean water upstream to have healthy communities downstream. How we care for plants and manage soil in our home garden/landscape can have an impact on water quality. Excess pesticides and fertilizers can run off or percolate through the soil, ultimately ending up in surface and groundwater. Compacted soil reduces water-holding capacity, allowing it to run off. Organic matter left on or incorporated into the soil can help absorb and hold water. Loose soil can be blown or carried off and can flow into streams, rivers, and lakes.

For additional information on how WSU Extension Master Gardeners are nurturing gardens with clean water, visit the WSU Extension Master Gardener program website.