thisplace.com.au - Gardening the Green Way

Gardening and looking after our yards can be a great source of pride, relaxation and exercise. It is both rewarding to grow our own vegetables, fruit or herbs and a pleasure to nurture flowers, tress, shrubs and a healthy lawn.

Doing things in a environmentally friendly way can be very simple and often saves money. Some activities may take a little time, but time is one of the most important things that we can contribute in protecting and enhancing our environment.

Taking advantage of our natural surroundings

by adopting green lawn and garden practices, we are looking after the environment as well as taking care of the yard and garden
use care free ground cover that doesn't need cutting or a lot of maintenance - for example shrubs or wildflowers
plant more trees - they filter air pollution, contribute oxygen to the air, secure soil from erosion, shelter birds, help control the greenhouse effect and act as air conditioners, keeping areas shaded and cool
by having more birdlife in your garden you will have less pests.
you could continue this natural theme by providing a garden that will support lizard and frogs etc - all of these creatures will keep pest numbers down and reduce chemicals that you would have to use thus saving you money and valuable time
use compost for your lawn and garden
use mulches of straw, lawn clippings, cane mulch to help reduce weed growth, and maintain cooler temperatures in your garden
this will also keep the moisture in the soil - meaning, you will have to use less water on the garden ( and keep your water rates down )
leave short grass clippings on the lawn as a natural fertiliser

Conserving Water

remember every drop counts
consider installing a rainwater tank for the collection of rainwater for lawn and garden watering - the initial cost of buying the tank will be offset over time by the saving you will make on not having to pay excess water rates
rainwater also has more nutrients for your garden than the hose
water your lawn and plants in the morning or in the cool of the evening to prevent evaporation and sunburning of leaves and grass
when watering the garden don't salt and pepper it - that is don't give it a quick spray, try to give it a good soaking - by doing this you will train the roots to grow down ( if you salt and pepper the roots grow towards the surface and you do not want this )
by giving the garden a good soaking you will find that you won't have to water the garden as much
as mentioned before, mulching the garden helps to retain moisture in the soil and crowds out weeds
use a broom to sweep the driveway or footpath instead of hosing it down, or at least sweep it first then give it a quick hose off

Dealing with nature's pests - natural solutions for common pests

aphids - ladybug's and other insects ( as well as birds ) eat thousands of aphids annually. To get the ones they miss, spray plants with soap ( pH balanced detergent for example ) and water
slugs - to repel slugs, buy powdered ginger in bulk and spread it around the base of plants. To remove slugs let them gather under a board, then collect them in the morning and dunk them in soapy or salty water. Or try placing a shallow pan of vinegar or beer in your garden overnight - they'll drown a happy death by morning
to protect the roots of newly planted peppers and other green vegetables, make collars from waxed cardboard, foil, or rings from tin cans or small plastic containers and push them into the soil about 5mm deep
avoid using foil cuffs around trees - they cause the bark to rot and may damage the tree
other chewing insects - an all purpose spray that works on many chewing insects is made by pureeing 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper with 1 litre of water. Dilute 1 : 4 with water and spray on plant leaves and stems
ants - although ants can be abundant in the garden, they are only really annoying when they come into the house - to prevent this, make a puree of orangepeel and water and sprinkle on ant hills.
placing cucumber peels on a ant route will also stop these picnic pests
try companion planting, or growing certain plants in with your vegetables and flowers
marigolds, daisies, nasturtium, yarrow, garlic and mint are just a few of the plants which will repel many insects

Neighbourhood pests and pets

install a wire mesh fence ( 1 metre - 3 feet high ) around the sensitive part of your garden ( eg your vegetable patch ) this will keep out some unwanted pests like rabbits or cats and dogs
sprinkle cayenne pepper or scatter lemon, grapefruit and orange peels near plants to keep out cats and dogs
dig up weeds by hand, before they seed ( a stich in time saves nine )

Conserving Energy - use human power

where possible, use hand-operated tools like manual tillers ( picks, mattocks, etc ), push mowers and hedge trimmers, instead of power tools
by doing this not only are you helping the environment ( no emissions from petrol mowers etc ) and saving money ( petrol, electricity etc ) but you are also keeping fit and healthy - a free workout!
avoid filling the petrol tank or changing the oil in any place where either substance will run off into the soil or grass