Name two best management practices to reduce nutrient runoff from a home garden into surface water.

• A. Use targeted fertilizer application with appropriate rates; implement drip irrigation and maintain a vegetation buffer or mulch to trap runoff.
• B. Broadcast fertilizer heavily; use sprinklers; remove buffer.
• C. Use only organic fertilizers; ignore runoff.
• D. Avoid mulch and leave bare soil.

Answer: (D)

Reducing nutrient runoff from a home garden hinges on two practical practices that work together to keep nutrients where plants can use them and where soil can retain them. First, apply fertilizer at the right rate and in the right places—split applications based on plant need or soil tests, so nutrients aren’t left in the soil to wash away. Pair this with a water delivery method that targets the root zone, like drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which minimizes surface runoff and nutrient leaching.

Second, protect the soil and nearby water by keeping a vegetation buffer or mulch along garden edges. This slows, filters, and traps runoff so nutrients have a chance to be absorbed or taken up by plants before reaching surface water.