Kemper, Melanie and Mascha Schacht 2015: Konzept Online-Informationsangebot "Umweltverträglicher Pflanzenschutz" – www.uba.de/pflanzenschutz-im-garten-startseite, Berlin, February 2015, unpublished.

Delicately fragranced rose blossoms. Dew drops sparkling on leaves. Buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies and a basket of homegrown fruits and aromatic herbs. Gardening is a sensual experience - a pleasure and a joy. Or, at least, as long as everything goes according to plan. When the roses are infested with vine lice, the tomatoes rot and the dainty white butterfly turns out to be the malicious Pieris brassicae, a relaxing hobby can quickly become a source of stress and a bitter battle against pests and disease. The brochure is available for download.

Did you know that ladybirds, green lacewings, ichneumon wasps and other beneficial insects can be purchased in small packets to fight pests in your garden? Information on this and lots of other eco-friendly measures to apply in private gardens can now be found on the UBA internet portal "Pflanzenschutz im Garten". Alternative and preventative measures are the main focus, although environmentally-relevant side effects caused by chemical pesticides are also considered. Ecologic Institute led the conceptualisation and portal content management sections of the project, as well as the production of a comprehensive brochure.

This infographic shows photos of attractive flowering plants that are avoided by slugs.

This infographic gives an example with which vegetables you can follow a crop rotation in four patches and four years, taking into account nutrient demands and plant families.

This infographic helps to plan crop rotation in your vegetable garden. The table shows the nutritional needs and the plant family of the most important vegetables.

This infographic illustrates how to differentiate between root and seed weeds. The most common root and seed weeds are illustrated with photos.

Making your garden attractive for beneficial organisms is a preventive plant protection measure. This infographic shows you how to do that.

The infographic shows beneficial organisms, which can be used for pest control in the garden. It indicates which benefical organism helps against which pests, including pictures of their application. Average costs are also mentioned.

The infographic explains the use of nematodes, bacteria and viruses for biological pest control.

This infographic identifies key points to be considered for eco-friendly plant protection in private gardens.

This infographic visualizes and explains potential adverse effects of chemical pesticides on the environment. If instructions for pesticide use are not exactly followed, the risk for potential side effects increases.

What environmental impacts does the application of chemical pesticides have in private and small gardens, and how can consumers help to avoid these? In this project an online information portal and a brochure were created to answer these questions. Besides the environmentally relevant side effects of chemical pesticides, the project also focused on alternative and preventive measures.