5 Easy Ways to Make Your Garden Greener

Although green gardening sounds like an automatic thing often it is not. Overall home gardeners are trying to force as much productivity out of the plot in the shortest period of time. Often this entails using harsh chemicals and other methods that are not environmentally friendly. Read on for easy ways to garden greener.

Soil

The old farmer’s saying ‚”Feed the soil and let the soil feed the plants” still holds very true. Healthy garden soil is rich with organic matter and helpful micro-organisms that all work together to maintain a productive environment. Although many plants require supplemental feeding throughout the year the best plants will be grown in healthy soil.

• To determine what your garden needs, it is best to begin by performing a soil test to find out if any nutrients are missing.
• Avoid soil erosion by topdressing with organic mulch or planting a cover crop on unused areas.
• Annually add extra mulch around perennial plants to help feed the soil where it is consistently losing nutrients to plants.
• Work in three to four inches of organic mulch every year to help maintain soil health.

Relax

Often people try to fight nature by growing unsuitable plants for the site. A solid evaluation of the garden area will help to point the garden in the right direction. Plots that are constantly struggling and require excessive maintenance may simply be ill suited to the climate.

• Once again begin with a soil test which will provide the PH levels of the ground.
• Be honest with the drainage and sun exposure. Rich loamy soil and shady conditions will not be tolerable for rock gardens.
• Arrange the garden and plants to work with the natural area instead of against it. Doing so will drastically reduce the time and effort required to maintain the garden.

Recycle

The entire gardening process can generate a surprising amount of waste; from leftover seed cells to last year’s seed catalogues, there are numerous opportunities to help garden greener.

• Seed cells and starter packs can often be washed and used again the following year. Also some nurseries will accept used pots for reuse.
• Make starter pots from recyclable materials such as newspaper; this can be done quickly and cheaply and will save money and waste.
• Compost everything suitable. Why wait for bags of leaves to be picked up by the trash collectors when it can be turned into beneficial mulch?

Stop Spraying

Although commercial pesticides and insecticides are very common, they are not always the answer to the problem and should not be considered as a first option.

• Take the time to figure out exactly what the problem is. All gardens will have some insect damage and there is no point in trying to completely eliminate it.
• Determine if the issue is caused by a disease or an insect. Treating the garden with fungicide will not eliminate insects and vice versa. Make sure that the right problem is treated.
• Go organic if pest and fungus control is truly required, but remember that more is not better and that even organic treatments can be harmful if used incorrectly.

Rethink

Immaculate lawns are a point of pride for many households but often they are not maintained in an environmentally friendly way and contribute to run-off, flooding and harmful chemicals entering the water systems.

• Ensure that all lawn care products used are organic. Making the switch will reduce harmful chemical exposure for your entire household as well as the environment.
• Less is more when it comes to lawns and other hard-scaping projects. Flowers and cover crops are much less damaging to the environment and also require much less maintenance.
• Make sure that the right type of grass seed is used for your specific area. Shade versus sun varieties can make a tremendous difference in how much water and care is needed.
• Mow less often for better grass. The longer grass is the less water it will require and the healthier it will be overall.

Green gardening may require a little bit of effort but the long term results are more than worth the elbow grease.