Klein Plasten/Sternberg (dpa/mv) – Gardening without chemicals and peat is becoming increasingly popular in the north-east. This Saturday in Klein Plasten (Mecklenburg Lake District), the 1000th garden in the north-east will be honored with the plaque “Nature in the Garden”, as a spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg Endmoraine Landscape Conservation Association said on Wednesday. The jubilee plaque goes to a couple who manages an approximately 8,000-hectare natural property on the outskirts of Loiz near Sternberg (Ludwigslust-Parchim).

The Landscape Conservation Association in Neu Schloen near Waren has been awarding the plaques for ten years. Garden users must agree to refrain from using artificial fertilisers, chemical pesticides and peat. The aim of the campaign is to promote natural, native animal and plant diversity. 145 gardens are to receive the plaque on Saturday.