Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
Michael Clark asked:
Many people ask me what is the advantage that organic lawn care products have over man made chemicals. People will say that even the chemical fertilizers have the same ingredients that are found organically and that they are just put together in a more compact, efficient form.
Unfortunately, those people are wrong if they think that the man made chemicals are the same thing as organic product and that man made products are more efficient. The most commonly used lawn care product is most likely fertilizer, followed closely by weed control and weed killer products. When you compare the differences between the natural, organic fertilizers and week control products and the man made chemical products you see the benefits of using organic lawn care products.
Let us start with the organic fertilizer and compare it quickly to man made fertilizers. First of all, fertilizers contain some very basic materials–nitrogen, phosphate, and potash. The amounts will vary greatly depending on which brand and which type of fertilizer you purchase and use on your lawn.
Man made fertilizers will generally have more of all three ingredients, but that is not always a better thing to have more of. I like to compare it to a steroid used by body builders. Are the body builders (or baseball players) going to get bigger, stronger, and faster? Yes, of course they are. But are they going to be healthier than someone who lifts weights the old fashioned way? No. Your lawn may get greener quicker using the man made spray or pellets but underneath the green blades your lawn will be suffering and will not be as healthy.
This is because man made fertilizers are not good for your soil, which is the key to a healthy lawn. So you will end up with a good looking lawn for a short while, but then your lawn will need another shot of fertilizer juice. This is why most commercial lawn care programs use six or seven treatments during the summer. Unfortunately, all this ends up doing is creating a dependence for chemicals, as your soil will slowly deteriorate and loose the ability to support your grass.
Organic fertilizer, on the other hand will not give your lawn that quick shot of fertilizer juice. You will get some good nutrients, but they will not work as quickly. However, this is another case of slow and steady wins the race. Over time your soil will develop quite nicely and you will not need as much fertilizer. In addition, man made fertilizer will basically come in a salt form, which is not as good for your lawn.
How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers
Many people ask me what is the advantage that organic lawn care products have over man made chemicals. People will say that even the chemical fertilizers have the same ingredients that are found organically and that they are just put together in a more compact, efficient form.
Unfortunately, those people are wrong if they think that the man made chemicals are the same thing as organic product and that man made products are more efficient. The most commonly used lawn care product is most likely fertilizer, followed closely by weed control and weed killer products. When you compare the differences between the natural, organic fertilizers and week control products and the man made chemical products you see the benefits of using organic lawn care products.
Let us start with the organic fertilizer and compare it quickly to man made fertilizers. First of all, fertilizers contain some very basic materials–nitrogen, phosphate, and potash. The amounts will vary greatly depending on which brand and which type of fertilizer you purchase and use on your lawn.
Man made fertilizers will generally have more of all three ingredients, but that is not always a better thing to have more of. I like to compare it to a steroid used by body builders. Are the body builders (or baseball players) going to get bigger, stronger, and faster? Yes, of course they are. But are they going to be healthier than someone who lifts weights the old fashioned way? No. Your lawn may get greener quicker using the man made spray or pellets but underneath the green blades your lawn will be suffering and will not be as healthy.
This is because man made fertilizers are not good for your soil, which is the key to a healthy lawn. So you will end up with a good looking lawn for a short while, but then your lawn will need another shot of fertilizer juice. This is why most commercial lawn care programs use six or seven treatments during the summer. Unfortunately, all this ends up doing is creating a dependence for chemicals, as your soil will slowly deteriorate and loose the ability to support your grass.
Organic fertilizer, on the other hand will not give your lawn that quick shot of fertilizer juice. You will get some good nutrients, but they will not work as quickly. However, this is another case of slow and steady wins the race. Over time your soil will develop quite nicely and you will not need as much fertilizer. In addition, man made fertilizer will basically come in a salt form, which is not as good for your lawn.
How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers
Keith Cochran asked:
You don’t have to use chemicals to have a beautiful lawn. In fact, your lawn will be much healthier if you ban the use of chemicals. In addition, chemicals can poison soil and contaminate water. Use the following tips to get your lawn off drugs. • Remove weeds by hand. It’s the best type of weed control. Eighty percent of all weeds are annuals. If you remove them before they go to seed, you will be rid of them. If some weeds in your lawn are perennials, dig out the entire root system to ensure they can’t grow back. • Tolerate beneficial weeds, such as clover. Clover is a nitrogen magic plant that will enhance the health and beauty of your lawn. • Test your lawn’s soil, using a soil test kit. This will tell you how much organic matter is in the soil, the ph balance and what nutrients to obtain a perfect soil balance. • If your lawn has bare spots, reseed with a mixture of grass varieties. Most diseases that infiltrate your lawn are very selective. By using a mixture of grasses, you will ensure that your lawn will not be totally wiped out by disease. • Aerate to prevent the soil from becoming compacted. You will also break through heavy thatch. This allows nutrients and organic matter to reach your lawn’s root system. The best aerators in the world are earthworms. • If the thatch layer is more than a half inch thick, it’s time to de-thatch. Thatch prevents air, nutrients and water from getting to the soil and promotes a wide variety of problems. If you aerate and rake your lawn briskly, most of the thatch will be removed. Some thatch is beneficial to your lawn because it promotes decomposition of grass clippings and organic matter. • Grass should always be two to three inches high. Only cut one third of the height at one time to prevent grass from going into shock. It’s imperative that the mower blade is always sharp to prevent grass damage. Tall grass grows longer roots, shades the soil and prevents weed infiltration. • Always use natural fertilizers. They release nutrients into the soil and allow it to retain them longer. Organic fertilizer decomposes thatch and grass clippings quickly. Sheep manure is one of the best natural fertilizers available. • Water only when your lawn requires it and then water deeply. If you water frequently and lightly, your lawn will have shallow roots, which makes it more susceptible to disease and insects. If water runs off easily, it’s a sign that you need to aerate. • Do not remove grass clippings. Not only does your lawn require less raking, but the clippings act as natural fertilizer when they aren’t coated with chemicals. Assure grass clippings are not clumped to promote the decomposition process. • Do not use herbicides or pesticides. Chemicals kill birds, insects and earthworms that are beneficial to your lawn’s health. If you practice natural lawn care, you will discourage pests. • Invite beneficial micro organisms and earthworms to your lawn, as well as dragonflies, ladybugs, spiders, toads and frogs. These creatures are the secret to having a healthy and drug free lawn.
Create a Lawn care Business
You don’t have to use chemicals to have a beautiful lawn. In fact, your lawn will be much healthier if you ban the use of chemicals. In addition, chemicals can poison soil and contaminate water. Use the following tips to get your lawn off drugs. • Remove weeds by hand. It’s the best type of weed control. Eighty percent of all weeds are annuals. If you remove them before they go to seed, you will be rid of them. If some weeds in your lawn are perennials, dig out the entire root system to ensure they can’t grow back. • Tolerate beneficial weeds, such as clover. Clover is a nitrogen magic plant that will enhance the health and beauty of your lawn. • Test your lawn’s soil, using a soil test kit. This will tell you how much organic matter is in the soil, the ph balance and what nutrients to obtain a perfect soil balance. • If your lawn has bare spots, reseed with a mixture of grass varieties. Most diseases that infiltrate your lawn are very selective. By using a mixture of grasses, you will ensure that your lawn will not be totally wiped out by disease. • Aerate to prevent the soil from becoming compacted. You will also break through heavy thatch. This allows nutrients and organic matter to reach your lawn’s root system. The best aerators in the world are earthworms. • If the thatch layer is more than a half inch thick, it’s time to de-thatch. Thatch prevents air, nutrients and water from getting to the soil and promotes a wide variety of problems. If you aerate and rake your lawn briskly, most of the thatch will be removed. Some thatch is beneficial to your lawn because it promotes decomposition of grass clippings and organic matter. • Grass should always be two to three inches high. Only cut one third of the height at one time to prevent grass from going into shock. It’s imperative that the mower blade is always sharp to prevent grass damage. Tall grass grows longer roots, shades the soil and prevents weed infiltration. • Always use natural fertilizers. They release nutrients into the soil and allow it to retain them longer. Organic fertilizer decomposes thatch and grass clippings quickly. Sheep manure is one of the best natural fertilizers available. • Water only when your lawn requires it and then water deeply. If you water frequently and lightly, your lawn will have shallow roots, which makes it more susceptible to disease and insects. If water runs off easily, it’s a sign that you need to aerate. • Do not remove grass clippings. Not only does your lawn require less raking, but the clippings act as natural fertilizer when they aren’t coated with chemicals. Assure grass clippings are not clumped to promote the decomposition process. • Do not use herbicides or pesticides. Chemicals kill birds, insects and earthworms that are beneficial to your lawn’s health. If you practice natural lawn care, you will discourage pests. • Invite beneficial micro organisms and earthworms to your lawn, as well as dragonflies, ladybugs, spiders, toads and frogs. These creatures are the secret to having a healthy and drug free lawn.
Create a Lawn care Business
Benedict Yossarian asked:
Green Thumbs are Not Necessary
Seeds will grow if planted and taken care of. All you need is a little water, lots of sun and a decent soil. This is the simple fact about gardening and life itself. There are no sure fire ways to ensure that you will have a garden worthy of a blue ribbon award, but there are definite ways to ensure that your plants will grow nicely. Plants will not care if you have prior experience in gardening or not, all they need are the basic necessities to live and they will do the rest. What most people fail to realize about gardening is that plants wish to grow for their own selves, not for the benefit of the garden owners. Owning a garden is taking on the responsibility of ensuring that your plants are growing well, it is not for the aesthetic approval of your neighbors. If your plants grow beautifully and your house looks nicer, that is a fringe benefit.
Appreciating Your Plants
One thing garden owners should realize is that plants are living things. Humans, animals and plants all possess life and that life should be nurtured and cherished. Owning a garden is a testament to human being’s capability to take care of all other living things on this planet. This is why owning a garden is not just a hobby; it is a way of life. While we may not mourn the passing of a shrub or can easily ignore the death of a tree, it is an undeniable fact that every plant in our garden is a living thing and we should take care of it.
Taking on this responsibility, while important is an actually quite simple. Plants, as living things, have the will and capacity to live; as long as they receive the right amount of resources needed, they will flourish on their own without the need for special care and attention. But when it is not given, plants will naturally wither and die. This is the conundrum for all gardens.
Understanding the Benefits of Having a Garden
What will give you the best drive and motivation to properly take care of your garden is by identifying the many benefits that a garden gives to a home. A lawn alone gives you space to breathe and appreciate your house more. The effect that a lawn gives to a household are plenty and quite beneficial. Health wise, having a garden will give you a supply of fresh clean air when you leave the house in the morning and when you arrive at home at night. Clean air is very important when it comes to relieving stress and many respiratory problems. Also, if you have a garden at the back of your home where you might hang laundry, the clean air will keep your clothes and other fabrics smelling fresh and clean.
Gardens give you a place to relax, have fun and play, either on your own or with your family. The garden can be your own personal place of restful solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city life. GP
How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers
Green Thumbs are Not Necessary
Seeds will grow if planted and taken care of. All you need is a little water, lots of sun and a decent soil. This is the simple fact about gardening and life itself. There are no sure fire ways to ensure that you will have a garden worthy of a blue ribbon award, but there are definite ways to ensure that your plants will grow nicely. Plants will not care if you have prior experience in gardening or not, all they need are the basic necessities to live and they will do the rest. What most people fail to realize about gardening is that plants wish to grow for their own selves, not for the benefit of the garden owners. Owning a garden is taking on the responsibility of ensuring that your plants are growing well, it is not for the aesthetic approval of your neighbors. If your plants grow beautifully and your house looks nicer, that is a fringe benefit.
Appreciating Your Plants
One thing garden owners should realize is that plants are living things. Humans, animals and plants all possess life and that life should be nurtured and cherished. Owning a garden is a testament to human being’s capability to take care of all other living things on this planet. This is why owning a garden is not just a hobby; it is a way of life. While we may not mourn the passing of a shrub or can easily ignore the death of a tree, it is an undeniable fact that every plant in our garden is a living thing and we should take care of it.
Taking on this responsibility, while important is an actually quite simple. Plants, as living things, have the will and capacity to live; as long as they receive the right amount of resources needed, they will flourish on their own without the need for special care and attention. But when it is not given, plants will naturally wither and die. This is the conundrum for all gardens.
Understanding the Benefits of Having a Garden
What will give you the best drive and motivation to properly take care of your garden is by identifying the many benefits that a garden gives to a home. A lawn alone gives you space to breathe and appreciate your house more. The effect that a lawn gives to a household are plenty and quite beneficial. Health wise, having a garden will give you a supply of fresh clean air when you leave the house in the morning and when you arrive at home at night. Clean air is very important when it comes to relieving stress and many respiratory problems. Also, if you have a garden at the back of your home where you might hang laundry, the clean air will keep your clothes and other fabrics smelling fresh and clean.
Gardens give you a place to relax, have fun and play, either on your own or with your family. The garden can be your own personal place of restful solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city life. GP
How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers
Alex Murphy asked:
If you are fed up with using artificial chemical plant foods and poisons to card for your yard and lawn, perhaps you ought to have a look at one of mother nature’s oldest and most often looked soil conditioners – earthworms.
Earthworms have been on the planet for centuries and act as a natural control to other lawn pests and micro-organisms. Not only are they good for the soil, but their very presence indicates that the soil is healthy. If you find no earthworms in your soil, you literally may not have healthy soil.
Earthworms also help to aerate your soil which is important to the root systems of plants. If your soil is too dense, water and nutrients will have trouble reaching the root systems of your grass or other plants and will lead to them starving or traveling to the surface, which is not good. Aeration has a plethora of benefits to the soil. It helps to reduce and eliminate thatching. It reduces water runoff and improves soil drainage. Aeration helps to loosen compacted soil, especially soil that has a heavy percentage of clay, allowing the soil to “breathe.”
It’s unlikely that you’ll see earthworms during the day. They hate the daylight, probably from eons of experience being eaten by early morning birds. They love the dark and that is where you’ll most likely find them on the surface. They also seek the surface after long periods of rain where they may come to the surface for air.
If you want to drive all the earthworms to your neighbor’s lawn, then use a chemical fertilizer that has a high percentage of nitrogen. Large amounts of nitrogen tend to make the soil acidic which earthworms do not like. If the soil becomes too acidic, your friendly earthworms will seek greener pastures elsewhere.
If, however, you want to help your earthworm friends, leave your lawn clippings on the lawn when you cut it. The grass clippings contain natural levels of nitrogen, which is good for the soil. In addition, lawn clippings are a good source of food for earthworms.
Many chemical fertilizers have trifluralin as an active ingredient. Trifluralin is a suspected carcinogen which the EPA put under special review in the early eighties because of the presence of a contaminant that had been shown to cause tumors in animals. If you use chemical fertilizers on your soil, you are possibly putting the health of your lawn’s earthworms in danger.
Eliminating poisons has other benefits as well. Domesticated dogs and cats often chew on grass, dandelions, and other plants in the garden. If the lawn and plants have been treated with pesticides, your pets are also eating pesticides. In the best case, they will not be harmed. But depending on the levels of pesticides used, they could end up with an upset stomach or worse, they could be seriously poisoned. The same applies to your kids if they play on the lawn and put things in their mouth as young kids will often do.
With these facts in mind, even though the use of chemical fertilizers is often a much easier way of keeping your lawn looking good, you have ask yourself if it’s worth it. If, however, you are willing to try natural means of lawn care, you may find that the lowly earthworm is your lawn’s new best friend.
Create a Lawn care Business
If you are fed up with using artificial chemical plant foods and poisons to card for your yard and lawn, perhaps you ought to have a look at one of mother nature’s oldest and most often looked soil conditioners – earthworms.
Earthworms have been on the planet for centuries and act as a natural control to other lawn pests and micro-organisms. Not only are they good for the soil, but their very presence indicates that the soil is healthy. If you find no earthworms in your soil, you literally may not have healthy soil.
Earthworms also help to aerate your soil which is important to the root systems of plants. If your soil is too dense, water and nutrients will have trouble reaching the root systems of your grass or other plants and will lead to them starving or traveling to the surface, which is not good. Aeration has a plethora of benefits to the soil. It helps to reduce and eliminate thatching. It reduces water runoff and improves soil drainage. Aeration helps to loosen compacted soil, especially soil that has a heavy percentage of clay, allowing the soil to “breathe.”
It’s unlikely that you’ll see earthworms during the day. They hate the daylight, probably from eons of experience being eaten by early morning birds. They love the dark and that is where you’ll most likely find them on the surface. They also seek the surface after long periods of rain where they may come to the surface for air.
If you want to drive all the earthworms to your neighbor’s lawn, then use a chemical fertilizer that has a high percentage of nitrogen. Large amounts of nitrogen tend to make the soil acidic which earthworms do not like. If the soil becomes too acidic, your friendly earthworms will seek greener pastures elsewhere.
If, however, you want to help your earthworm friends, leave your lawn clippings on the lawn when you cut it. The grass clippings contain natural levels of nitrogen, which is good for the soil. In addition, lawn clippings are a good source of food for earthworms.
Many chemical fertilizers have trifluralin as an active ingredient. Trifluralin is a suspected carcinogen which the EPA put under special review in the early eighties because of the presence of a contaminant that had been shown to cause tumors in animals. If you use chemical fertilizers on your soil, you are possibly putting the health of your lawn’s earthworms in danger.
Eliminating poisons has other benefits as well. Domesticated dogs and cats often chew on grass, dandelions, and other plants in the garden. If the lawn and plants have been treated with pesticides, your pets are also eating pesticides. In the best case, they will not be harmed. But depending on the levels of pesticides used, they could end up with an upset stomach or worse, they could be seriously poisoned. The same applies to your kids if they play on the lawn and put things in their mouth as young kids will often do.
With these facts in mind, even though the use of chemical fertilizers is often a much easier way of keeping your lawn looking good, you have ask yourself if it’s worth it. If, however, you are willing to try natural means of lawn care, you may find that the lowly earthworm is your lawn’s new best friend.
Create a Lawn care Business
Fern Marshall Bradley asked:
Saving the Earth and protecting children and pets from dangerous chemicals are the reasons most gardeners cite for giving up pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but guess what? Making the switch to organic gardening methods will save you money too! Here are six examples of how going organic will put money back in your pocket.
**Plant veggies, spend less on doctor bills. A recent article by a Texas research biochemist summarizes some bad news: many scientific studies show that the vitamin content of fresh fruits and vegetables is on the decline. That’s alarming, because fresh produce should be an important source of vitamins and minerals in our diets — without them, we’re more vulnerable to getting sick. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to protect your health and reduce what you spend on costly doctor visits, cold and flu medications, and vitamin pills: plant some vegetables. Fresh-picked home garden produce is brimming with nutrition, and recent studies confirm that organically grown produce can be even richer in nutrients than conventionally grown fruits and veggies.
**Fire your lawn care service. How much do you pay for a lawn care company to treat your lawn? Chances are it’s way too much. So ditch the lawn service and hire a local teen to mow for you instead. To encourage a healthy lawn the organic way, have your hired help set the mower high — at least 3 inches high. That way, your lawn grass naturally shades out weeds (no more herbicides needed). Be sure your helper uses a mulching mower that returns grass clippings — which contain valuable nitrogen — to the lawn (no more bagged fertilizer needed). Once a year, have your helper spread good-quality compost too, about 1/4 inch thick. The compost will melt into the lawn almost immediately, adding a wide range of nutrients as well as beneficial microbes that help prevent lawn diseases.
**Fight pests with flowers instead of pesticides. More than 90 percent of the insects in your yard and garden are your friends, not your foes. Ladybugs, lacewings, and even many kinds of flies and tiny wasps are an important natural pest control force. Their larvae (the immature stages of the insects) gobble up aphids and other pests, or parasitize the caterpillars that would like to turn the foliage of your flowers and veggies into a holey mess. One easy way to attract these good-guy insects to your yard organically is to plant a garden of perennials and herbs with tiny flowers, because the adult beneficial insects eat pollen, not bugs. Yarrow, purple coneflowers, daisies, tansy, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias are great plants to start with, and you’ll love how they look growing in sunny spots all around your yard. Buying a few packets of annual seeds and several potted perennials is much cheaper — and much more fun — than buying pesticides and a sprayer!
**Forget the bagged fertilizer — buy seeds instead. It’s true! A packet of cover crop seeds such as buckwheat or oats will add as much fertility to your garden beds as any bag of synthetic fertilizer can. And that’s just the start of the story. Using synthetic fertilizer is a vicious cycle, because the chemicals in the fertilizer kill or repel beneficial earthworms and other organisms that help build a healthy soil. Plus, chemical fertilizer easily washes down through the soil when it rains, ending up in the groundwater we drink! You’ll save big in the long term by planting cover crops instead—they prevent soil erosion, they encourage earthworms and other good guys, and they enrich your soil naturally. Simply sow the cover crop seed on lightly loosened soil, rake it in lightly, and water it to speed germination. Within 4 to 8 weeks, you can cut down the crop with shears or your lawn mower, and all that rich green material will naturally break down, leaving you a nutrient-primed planting bed that will produce bumper crops of veggies, fruit, or flowers.
**Reduce your water bill by capturing rainwater. Depending on where you live, as much as 50 percent of the water you use goes to keeping your garden green and growing. That’s a big expense that will only get bigger as water supply problems increase around the country. But for less than $100, you can buy and install a rain barrel that will capture the rain that falls on your roof, providing you a free supply of water for your gardens virtually indefinitely. Rain barrels are available from home centers and mail-order suppliers, and it takes no special skills to install one.
**Grow gourmet salad toppings on the cheap. Microgreens are all the rage at fancy restaurants and farm markets, but boy are they expensive! Here’s a secret: you can grow your own microgreens at any time of year on a sunny windowsill for a fraction of the price. Simply save leftover clamshell containers from the deli and buy some organic transplanting mix that’s enriched with compost. Clean the containers well, use a barbecue skewer to poke several drainage holes in each one, and fill them with moist mix. Then sprinkle veggie seeds (be sure the seeds haven’t been treated with pesticides) generously over the soil surface, cover lightly with more mix, and set the containers in a catch tray on the windowsill. Mist daily until sprouts appear, then water as needed to keep them growing. Within three weeks, the sprouts will reach the two-leaf stage, and you can snip them with scissors to garnish salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Use lettuce, arugula and other salad greens, as well as broccoli, kale, dill, cilantro, basil, even peas.
©2009 Fern Marshall Bradley, co-editor of The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Planning – Selection – Propagation – Organic Solutions
Create a Lawn care Business
Saving the Earth and protecting children and pets from dangerous chemicals are the reasons most gardeners cite for giving up pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but guess what? Making the switch to organic gardening methods will save you money too! Here are six examples of how going organic will put money back in your pocket.
**Plant veggies, spend less on doctor bills. A recent article by a Texas research biochemist summarizes some bad news: many scientific studies show that the vitamin content of fresh fruits and vegetables is on the decline. That’s alarming, because fresh produce should be an important source of vitamins and minerals in our diets — without them, we’re more vulnerable to getting sick. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to protect your health and reduce what you spend on costly doctor visits, cold and flu medications, and vitamin pills: plant some vegetables. Fresh-picked home garden produce is brimming with nutrition, and recent studies confirm that organically grown produce can be even richer in nutrients than conventionally grown fruits and veggies.
**Fire your lawn care service. How much do you pay for a lawn care company to treat your lawn? Chances are it’s way too much. So ditch the lawn service and hire a local teen to mow for you instead. To encourage a healthy lawn the organic way, have your hired help set the mower high — at least 3 inches high. That way, your lawn grass naturally shades out weeds (no more herbicides needed). Be sure your helper uses a mulching mower that returns grass clippings — which contain valuable nitrogen — to the lawn (no more bagged fertilizer needed). Once a year, have your helper spread good-quality compost too, about 1/4 inch thick. The compost will melt into the lawn almost immediately, adding a wide range of nutrients as well as beneficial microbes that help prevent lawn diseases.
**Fight pests with flowers instead of pesticides. More than 90 percent of the insects in your yard and garden are your friends, not your foes. Ladybugs, lacewings, and even many kinds of flies and tiny wasps are an important natural pest control force. Their larvae (the immature stages of the insects) gobble up aphids and other pests, or parasitize the caterpillars that would like to turn the foliage of your flowers and veggies into a holey mess. One easy way to attract these good-guy insects to your yard organically is to plant a garden of perennials and herbs with tiny flowers, because the adult beneficial insects eat pollen, not bugs. Yarrow, purple coneflowers, daisies, tansy, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias are great plants to start with, and you’ll love how they look growing in sunny spots all around your yard. Buying a few packets of annual seeds and several potted perennials is much cheaper — and much more fun — than buying pesticides and a sprayer!
**Forget the bagged fertilizer — buy seeds instead. It’s true! A packet of cover crop seeds such as buckwheat or oats will add as much fertility to your garden beds as any bag of synthetic fertilizer can. And that’s just the start of the story. Using synthetic fertilizer is a vicious cycle, because the chemicals in the fertilizer kill or repel beneficial earthworms and other organisms that help build a healthy soil. Plus, chemical fertilizer easily washes down through the soil when it rains, ending up in the groundwater we drink! You’ll save big in the long term by planting cover crops instead—they prevent soil erosion, they encourage earthworms and other good guys, and they enrich your soil naturally. Simply sow the cover crop seed on lightly loosened soil, rake it in lightly, and water it to speed germination. Within 4 to 8 weeks, you can cut down the crop with shears or your lawn mower, and all that rich green material will naturally break down, leaving you a nutrient-primed planting bed that will produce bumper crops of veggies, fruit, or flowers.
**Reduce your water bill by capturing rainwater. Depending on where you live, as much as 50 percent of the water you use goes to keeping your garden green and growing. That’s a big expense that will only get bigger as water supply problems increase around the country. But for less than $100, you can buy and install a rain barrel that will capture the rain that falls on your roof, providing you a free supply of water for your gardens virtually indefinitely. Rain barrels are available from home centers and mail-order suppliers, and it takes no special skills to install one.
**Grow gourmet salad toppings on the cheap. Microgreens are all the rage at fancy restaurants and farm markets, but boy are they expensive! Here’s a secret: you can grow your own microgreens at any time of year on a sunny windowsill for a fraction of the price. Simply save leftover clamshell containers from the deli and buy some organic transplanting mix that’s enriched with compost. Clean the containers well, use a barbecue skewer to poke several drainage holes in each one, and fill them with moist mix. Then sprinkle veggie seeds (be sure the seeds haven’t been treated with pesticides) generously over the soil surface, cover lightly with more mix, and set the containers in a catch tray on the windowsill. Mist daily until sprouts appear, then water as needed to keep them growing. Within three weeks, the sprouts will reach the two-leaf stage, and you can snip them with scissors to garnish salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Use lettuce, arugula and other salad greens, as well as broccoli, kale, dill, cilantro, basil, even peas.
©2009 Fern Marshall Bradley, co-editor of The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Planning – Selection – Propagation – Organic Solutions
Create a Lawn care Business
