Green Gardening
Gardening 'green' doesn't need to be difficult or expensive. A few simple, eco-friendly changes can have a big impact on the environment. Here are some of the things you may want to consider doing in your own garden -
- Water-Wise Gardening
- Composting
- Organic Weed and Pest Control
- Controlling White Grubs in the Connecticut Home Garden
- Green Yard / Lawn Care
Water-Wise Gardening
On average, about 40 - 50% of our water consumption is used outdoors (e.g., watering the lawn). For quick and easy things you can do, see our top 20 Tips for Water-Wise Gardening in the May issue of In the Garden. Plus, below are three ways to reduce water consumption.
Rain Gardens - Water runoff from impervious surfaces, such as driveways, roofs, and patios, is a major source of pollution to our waterways. Building a rain garden not only reduces the amount of pollutants entering our streams, lakes, and wetlands, it also looks beautiful. The UConn Cooperative Extension System provides an excellent brochure describing exactly how to build a rain garden.
Rain Barrels - Conserve water and save on your water bills by collecting run-off from your roof in a rain barrel. Locally, you can buy good quality rain barrels through R.U.F. Products in Ridgefield. Other options include online rain barrel sales.
Drought-Tolerant Plants - There are many beautiful plants that don't need much / additional water and can easily be integrated into a home garden. Read about xeriscaping and drought-tolerant plants for Connecticut.
Composting
Make Your Own Compost - There are many myths about composting - that it will smell, that it takes up a lot of space, that it will attract animals and pests. But, done correctly, composting is none of these things. In fact, composting is one of the best things you can do for your garden and for the environment. Using compost in your garden provides benefits like increased nutrient and water storage, improved soil structure, prevention of erosion, and improved disease resistance. Composting is easy, just follow this information about how to compost.
Compost Recipe - Harvard University recently conducted a series of tests looking at the effect of compost and compost tea, as compared to chemical pesticides and fertilizers (see NY Times article on Harvard's compost project - 09/23/09). The organic approach was so successful that Harvard now uses compost and compost tea on the entire university property. See their Compost Recipe and Fact Sheet.
Free Compost - Check with your local Public Works department - many towns provide free lead mould / compost to residents. Compost is available in Stamford at both Recycling Centers (most is at the Scofieldtown Road site), and residents of New Canaan can pick up limited quanties of mulch at the Lapham Road composting site in the early morning and evening (it's placed outside the site, by the road). Greenwich and Norwalk do not offer this service.
UPDATE - June 19, 2009 - Recently, there has been concern about the safety of the compost from the Scofieldtown Road Recycling Center because of the possible presence of toxic compounds. Tests have shown that the compost is NOT contaminated and is safe for use in home gardens.
Organic Weed and Pest Control
Many of us rush out to spray plants with pesticides or herbicides at the first sight of insects or weeds. But there are other, equally effective methods to control pests and weeds, including organic pesticides (which are generally still toxic), biopesticides (such as milky spore and nematodes), and natural weed suppressants (such as corn gluten meal). All are readily available at local garden centers or online.
Green Yard / Lawn Care
Lawns and lawn care are one of the biggest sources of pollution in the suburban landscape. We Americans have a love affair with the bright green lawn and very few are willing to give it up entirely. But we can reduce the size of those vast swaths of green. And we can care for it in more environmentally friendly ways. It's possible for the home owner to have a beautiful lawn by following this organic lawn care guide. There are also many local lawn care companies that will use organic methods in caring for your lawn - if you ask.