Which fruit and vegetables are good to grow in the garden or on the balcony? Which potting soil is particularly sustainable? And which herbs from the supermarket are particularly good for the environment - frozen ones, fresh ones in flowerpots or dried herbs? The eco-checkers find out what you should look out for! 00:00 Herbs: fresh, frozen or dried? 18:06 Vegetables: growing and naturally fighting pests 27:15 Climate killer peat: how to make potting soil sustainable GROWING HERBS AT HOME IS VERY EASY The selection of herbs in stores is huge! With such a huge selection, which herbs are actually the best for the climate, the environment and health? With many herbs in the supermarket, you use a lot of plastic for a few stems, which may even be refrigerated. A fresh bunch without packaging is better, and you can often find these in organic shops or at the weekly market. The best choice for anyone who only uses herbs occasionally - frozen herbs or dried ones from the supermarket. Even the famous basil from the pot is not automatically one of the most sustainable options when buying herbs. You need a green thumb here. Potted herbs often contain far too many plants in a small space. With basil, it helps to separate the plants and transplant them into several pots. Tobi Koch gets simple tips for the herb garden at home and how the basil in the pot can survive for a long time. SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN A SMALL AREA - PLANTING SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC VEGETABLES YOURSELF Fruit and vegetables from the supermarket often have to travel long distances - 65% of the products do not come from Germany. In addition, the goods can be contaminated with pesticides that are harmful to health and the environment. The most sustainable shopping option would be to buy food that is seasonal, regional and organic. However, these are often too expensive for many people. Anne Chebu wants to find out: Growing fruit and vegetables yourself - how does that work (even without a garden)? Self-sufficiency is good for the environment and our wallets. Every kilo of home-grown fruit and vegetables saves around two kilograms of CO2 compared to supermarket produce. It is particularly important to choose the right location for the desired seeds and to select the right varieties for the existing location. Plants that complement each other in terms of nutrient requirements, root depth and light requirements are good neighbors. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE RIGHT POTTERY? Particularly important when gardening: potting soil! But is it supposed to kill the climate? The culprit is peat, which is contained in potting soil. It is the ideal raw material for potting soil. And this is where the big climate problem lies: moors are the largest carbon store on land. What special soil do we really need and how good are the climate-friendly alternatives without peat? High-quality universal soil and potting soil is sufficient for most plants. For special flowers, potted plant soil, rhododendron soil or highly mineral soil with grit and granules can also be useful. However, "organic" is not a protected term for potting soil and does not indicate whether peat is contained or not. The most important thing when choosing soil is the "peat-free" label. To help, BUND has created a shopping guide. ECOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL - HOW DO YOU BEST PROTECT YOUR GARDEN? Barriers and plants that pests don't like can ward off some unwanted animals. Homemade plant broth can also help deter them. Growing some plants that pests don't like can also help. Some beneficial insects such as ladybirds that fight pests can also be attracted with special plants. Further links • UBA (2016): Plant protection products in the soil. At: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/pflanz... • Federal Center for Nutrition (2020): Herbs: Production. At: https://www.bzfe.de/lebensmittel/vom-... • BUND (2020): BUND shopping guide for peat-free soil. At: https://www.bund.net/service/publikat... • BMUV (2016): Climate Protection Plan 2050. At: https://www.bmuv.de/fileadmin/Daten_B... Credits: Authors: Kathrin Gatzemeier, Christina Zepf Moderation: Anne Chebu, Tobias Koch Editor (solisTV): Sarah Weihsweiler Editor (SWR): Inga Vennemann Image source: SWR Imprint, Netiquette and Co. ► Subscribe to the Marktcheck channel http://x.swr.de/s/13x1 ► Instagram @oekochecker: / oekochecker Ökochecker are produced by SWR ►https://www.swr.de/impressum ► Comments are welcome - but please observe our netiquette: http://www.swr.de/netiquette #Oekochecker #Sustainability #Garden