What is a ‘Green’ Garden?

A ‘Green’ garden is a sustainable system that uses the least amount of imported nutrients, produces abundant crops, and generates little waste.
It uses little or no petroleum in its creation or maintenance, produces no pollution, and and improves your life and environment through less noise, cost, and pollution.

The basics are simple

Mulch your garden to:	Save water, as much as 87% Prevent weeds and save work Feed your soil’s living material Suppress many garden diseases Often available for little or no cost
Compost your yard and  kitchen wastes to:	Make your own rich, compost, the perfect fertilizer for vegetable organic gardening Save this resource from becoming land fill Never buy fertilizer again Composting is basic to organic vegetable gardening
Right plant, right place	Select plants and varieties suited to this area Provide them with the right environment Adapted varieties are often low-care, low-water Select fruiting trees and shrubs over ornimentals Beautiful trees and shrubs provide delicious fruit Bring wild life to your back yard
Water intelligently!	We live in a desert! Conserve! Use drip systems, and keep them in good repair Water only when the plants need water Save water prevent disease cut your monthly bill
Stop Pollution	reduce  or eliminate yard chemical ‘cides’ and fertilizing Design for water retention to prevent run-off Consider rain-water harvesting, porous hardscapes to save your ‘free’ water

For a couple of good references, I recommend:
‘Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies‘ by Owen Dell
and the ‘Green Gardener’s Guide‘ by Joe Lamp’l.
Both of these books are reviewed here. I own and have read both of these books, and there is valuable information in both that you can start applying today.