Mixing native and non-native plants enriches a landscape.

The Urban Farm Collective helps local growers with food swaps and small-producer markets.

Know your friends: We’re told to plant native species plants in our yards, but why? Native plants encourage native species of bugs, birds, and helpful critters and that, in turn, cuts down on the need for pesticides and other harmful additions to garden. By diversifying plant varieties, i.e., mixing natives with non-natives, the landscape design is richer. “I like to compare it to a really great dinner party,” says Colleen Lockovitch, program assistant at Oregon Tilth’s Organic Education Center. “The more interesting people you have, the more interesting the conversation.”

Know your enemies: It’s tempting to want to pull out a chemical insecticide when your garden’s once lush greenery becomes a salad bar for slimy critters in the night. Don’t blitz the bugs, says Lockovich, who warns that beneficial bugs such as ladybugs and bees will be caught in the crossfire. Use a powerful blast of water from the hose or ask your local garden center to help you identify the pest and suggest a nontoxic alternative to insecticide.

Share the bounty: When the zucchini overfloweth, food swaps or small-producer farmers markets such as those organized by Portland’s Urban Farm Collective can help take care of the excess. Have more than a little but less than a semi-truckload? Check out food-hub.org where local growers and local buyers connect.