The Spring Equinox has now occurred and it is time to start getting serious about gardening. Have you also thought about greening up your garden this year? Get creative and look at everything you have with a "green garden" eye for recycling, reusing and re-purposing in your garden. Incorporating more sustainable practices in your garden is healthier for you and your family and can save you lots of money. And we all like to save money!Here are some great greening ideas to get you started.
Gardeners, start your seeds! You can save money and take control of every aspect of your garden by starting your own seeds and seedlings. Seed starting supplies can be fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at your local garden shop, online or local box store. Start simply with a seed starting kit or two that includes the tray, peat pots and dome. You can also re-use plastic deli containers for starting your seed. You can re-use them many times before showing wear. Then you can just place them in your recycling bucket for the next pickup! Additionally, many garden centers are now accepting old plastic pots and trays for recycling. The plastic can be re-ground and made into new pots and a many other products. If you plan to re-use any plastic containers - either saved food containers or last years seed flats - you need to make sure they are cleaned thoroughly and sterilized.
Don't want to use plastic at all? Make your own biodegradable pots from newspaper. Click on the Instructables link to learn the process of making these nifty pots. Newspaper Planting Pots
You can also use egg shells for seedlings and then put them directly in the ground for planting. Rinse them out gently, let the egg shells dry out a bit and place the halves back into the egg carton to make them easier to manage. Fill each shell with soil and plant a couple of seeds in each. Once your plant is ready to be planted, place the plant and eggshell container directly in your garden.
A Word About Using Peat: Peat is an organic substance, but there are some good reasons to consider using much less of it. Peat is basically partially-decayed vegetation that forms in bogs and wetlands, making it a rich soil additive for your garden. The peat is harvested on an industrial scale by digging drainage ditches to drain the wetland, thereby killing the many species of plants and insects that thrive in this ecosystem. Besides the peat pots that you find for starting seeds or large bales you find for soil amendments, peat is also added as an ingredient in many bagged soils and other agricultural products. There are some alternatives to consider besides the creative ones I have included above. Coir is derived as a by-product of the coconut processing industry and is now being used to make peat-free pots. Also, odor-free cow manure pots are quickly replacing peat pots. Both help to recycle an abundant source of waste products at the same time.
Don't want to use plastic at all? Make your own biodegradable pots from newspaper. Click on the Instructables link to learn the process of making these nifty pots. Newspaper Planting Pots
You can also use egg shells for seedlings and then put them directly in the ground for planting. Rinse them out gently, let the egg shells dry out a bit and place the halves back into the egg carton to make them easier to manage. Fill each shell with soil and plant a couple of seeds in each. Once your plant is ready to be planted, place the plant and eggshell container directly in your garden.
A Word About Using Peat: Peat is an organic substance, but there are some good reasons to consider using much less of it. Peat is basically partially-decayed vegetation that forms in bogs and wetlands, making it a rich soil additive for your garden. The peat is harvested on an industrial scale by digging drainage ditches to drain the wetland, thereby killing the many species of plants and insects that thrive in this ecosystem. Besides the peat pots that you find for starting seeds or large bales you find for soil amendments, peat is also added as an ingredient in many bagged soils and other agricultural products. There are some alternatives to consider besides the creative ones I have included above. Coir is derived as a by-product of the coconut processing industry and is now being used to make peat-free pots. Also, odor-free cow manure pots are quickly replacing peat pots. Both help to recycle an abundant source of waste products at the same time.
Look for heirloom seeds & plants. An heirloom vegetable is any type of vegetable seed that has been saved and grown for a period of years and is passed down by the gardener that preserved it. There are also commercial heirloom which are open-pollinated varieties introduced prior to 1940. Some of these heirloom tomatoes came from seeds bought by companies from tomato-farming families. Heirloom seeds must be open pollinated or capable of producing a plant that is just like the parent. The seeds are passed down from generation to generation and some are hundreds of years old. As a fan of heirloom varieties, I think that these plants taste far better than a hybrid. You can find extensive selections of heirloom seeds and plants at many online stores including Johnny Seeds, Victory Seeds and Heirloom Seeds. But you can also find a small selection at your local co-op, garden center or box store.
Why should you care about buying heirloom seeds and plants? One of the best reasons is that they have superior flavor. Many hybrids and genetically-modified seeds and plants have been selected for their uniform appearance and ease of shipping instead of taste. Growing and saving the seeds from old cultivars saves money instead of having to buy new seed each year. Additionally hybrid seed will not produce the same as a parent plant when you try to plant them in future years. A vital reason to maintain heirlooms is that it preserves countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture. Old varieties of crops are maintained to keep their genetic traits intact for future generations.
Plan now to save your heirloom seeds or start a seed-swapping group. Heirloom gardeners and groups are working to ensure that the heirloom varieties will not become extinct by saving seeds of heirloom crops. Think about starting your own local group or join an organization to gain education in this area and have access to hundreds of heirloom seeds. A couple of good organizations to get you started are:
Seed Savers -a nonprofit tax-exempt organization that works to save heirloom garden seeds from extinction, with a focus on heirloom varieties brought to North America by gardeners and farmers when they immigrated and the traditional varieties grown by Native Americans, Mennonites and Amish.
Southern Seed Legacy Project - a program dedicated to identifying and preserving heirlooms from the South [Texas to Virginia]. They hunt for seeds, but also for the gardeners who developed and maintained these varieties so they can preserve both the seed and human legacies.
Once you have planted your seeds, you need to maintain a soil temperature of 80-85 degrees for best germination. You can find heat tapes and mats at your local garden store and many gardening catalogues. Or you can use your heating pad set on low to help you maintain the correct temperature. You should check your containers twice a day to make sure the soil has not dried out. If so, mist them with warm water - or use a straw to gently apply water to your pots.
If you are really feeling ambitious, you can make your own Seed Starting Station from pvc pipe and wire closet shelves. You likely have pvc pipe around from an old plumbing project. If not, ask around on Freecycle or Craigslist. The one we made for our plant starting is about 4' long with 24" wide shelves but you can make station any size to meet your needs. Turn the shelves upside down to give them a lip and attach them to the frame with zip strips for stability. The ends are not glued into the rest of the stucture but are a dry fit so that the entire unit can be dissasembled and stored once your seedlings are ready for the garden.
Lighting for your seedlings. Once your seedlings come up, they will need proper light to keep them growing. You will need at least one flourescent fixture for each shelf - but two for each shelf is better. You can purchase flourescent grow lights specifically made to provide "natural" light to indoor plants. The light output contains blue, green, red and orange spectrums to promote plant growth. The bulbs are available in 20 W and 40 W for a cost of $8-9 each. Or you can make your own spectrum for much less money. Here is the advice from my lighting designer son. P.S. He also created the original design for the seed starting station highlighted here.
For a two-light fixture, purchase one flourescent tube in the 5000-6,000 [blueish sunlight] color temp range and another tube in the 2800-3200 [warm orangish-red] color temp range. New seedlings need both the high sunlight wavelengths and the low incandescent type wavelengths for efficient growth. The blue light encourages the growth of leaves and reproductive parts, and the red light is good for top growth and seed germination. You can purchase a two-pack of each light for approximately $6 per pack.
You need to keep the lights 2-3 inches above the plants -- one for intensity reasons, the other so that the seedlings don’t reach for the light and grow all tall and spindly.
You can purchase spot light or bulb styled grow lights that fit a standard light fixture. These bulbs are great for providing additional light to houseplants, but they really don’t distribute enough light over a wide enough area to use them effectively for seed starting. Since I already had a couple, I have used them to add some additional light spectrum to my seed-starting station.
You can purchase spot light or bulb styled grow lights that fit a standard light fixture. These bulbs are great for providing additional light to houseplants, but they really don’t distribute enough light over a wide enough area to use them effectively for seed starting. Since I already had a couple, I have used them to add some additional light spectrum to my seed-starting station.
Companion Planting - As you are planning out your garden, consider companion planting. Click on the chart below to discover which plants help protect your garden plants from pests, which and which ones help them grow better. Companion planting will make less work for you in the garden, makes efficient use of the garden space you have and helps you avoid the use of pesticides. You can plant herbs or flowers like basil, mint, chives, chrysanthemums, and marigolds in between vegetable plants to repel insects. This and much more is included on the PDF chart below.
Go native. Plant trees, shrubs and other plants around your yard making a conscious effort to choose species that are native to your area. Additionally, what you plant in your garden affects the kinds of birds, insects, mammals, and amphibians that choose to live there. Think about what species you would like to attract, do your research and make plantings that will attract them.
Set up rain barrels. Many homeowners are beginning to see the value of harvesting rainwater as they see drought restrictions being enforced and the cost of municipal water rising. Harvesting rainwater not only helps to protect this natural resource but also saves your household lots of money as you begin to water your flowers and vegetable garden. A rain barrel can be filled in a matter of minutes during a good rainfall. Rain barrels come in a wide variety of materials, designs and colors and there are many ready-made rain barrels available on the market that you can purchase at your local garden center or online garden stores. Our affiliate Aquabarrel offers good quality rain barrels and DIY kits that are fabricated in the USA with parts and pieces purchased from US sources. I am coveting one of their newer models called the "Abe" an 80 gallon cylindrical unit with a black speckled "granite" finish and a built-in fill/divert/filter/overflow tube. I also discovered that they now carry above-ground cisterns [from 216-1000 gallons] that could be great for some of the Jeremiah Ridge buildings.
Set up a compost station. When you make your own compost you have access to unlimited amounts of nature's best fertilizer that many people call "Black Gold". Composting is a simple but very effective way to handle your food and vegetation waste instead of putting all that in your landfill. Adding compost to your soil will help you constantly enrich and build healthy soil. You can be a casual composter by simply starting a compost pile in a heap on the ground. Having a bin for your compost helps to control the heat and moisture content to help to speed up the composting process. There is an expansive variety of composters that you can purchase online or at your local garden store. Or if you are a DIY personality type, you can build your own. We have photos of our own DIY compost station made from pallets on our Green Projects page of our website.
Start a worm farm. One suggestion I have seen is to use an old aquarium for a worm farm. I do wonder about this because worms are not supposed to like the light and other information indicated that you need some drainage holes. Nevertheless, here are the instructions for using an old aquarium for your worm farm. Create layers of newspaper, vegetable waste, soil, and sand in your aquarium. Find some starter worms at your local bait store or your garden. The worms will work their way through the layers and produce worm casting as a homemade fertilizer.
The best worms for composting are Red Worm, or Red Wigglers. Red worms can eat more than their weight every day. European Night Crawlers are the cousin to the Red Wiggler and are also a good choice. African Night Crawlers can also be used but they cannot tolerate temps lower than 50 degrees. Canadian Night Crawlers are not recommended because they cannot tolerate the high temperatures like the red worms.
A Bonus for Fishermen [and Women] - After about 40 days or so, there will be three to four times the amount worms in your bin and it will keep on growing. So not only are you creating great compost for your garden, you will also have a constant supply of worms for fishing!
The Cooperative Extension Department at the University of Nevada has created a great informational document on Worm Composting [vermicomposting]. The publication link below indicates that you can set up a worm farm in five to thirty gallon containers or in a layered compost pile in the yard.
One of our affiliates, Aquabarrel, also offers a Soldier Grub Composter. While many compost bins can take 6-12 months to break down their contents, the BioPod Plus — Soldier Grub Composter, can eliminate most of your food scraps in as little as 24-36 hours according to their website information. Like composting and vermiculture, the BioPod Plus uses beneficial grubs to digest and decompose your kitchen waste, while producing valuable finished products. You can order one by clicking on the link below.
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GREEN TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Gallon milk jugs can be re-purposed in a number of ways to help you with your gardening chores.
You can make a scoop for garden soil, grass seed, bird seed and even dog food. Just cut off the bottom off at an angle, replace the screw top [or glue on the snap cap] and you are ready to go! You could also make different size scoops by using a half gallon milk jug.- Cut long strips from the sides to make plant markers. Cut them to your desired length with an angle at the bottom so they will slip into the ground easily.
- Water your tomatoes! This is a great way to keep that much-needed water near the roots of your prize tomatoes. Collect your gallon milk jugs, punch several holes in the bottom with an icepick. Dig a hole between your tomato plants and bury a jug about 2/3 into the soil. Use a funnel to to pour water into the jugs and then replace the cap. Your new water jug will water your tomatoes at a slow rate and make sure they don't dry out.
Soda bottles [2 Liter] are great for making a cloche for your tender young plants as you set them out. Cut off the bottoms and take off the tops. Simply place over your seedlings and push into the soil a bit for a mini-greenhouse as they adjust to their new environment. You could place the top back on if an unexpected cold snap comes up after you have planted. Just remember to remove it during the day so that you don't cook your little babies.
Note about using plastic bottles in your garden: Don't leave the plastic containers outside during the winter because they will become brittle and break down. You can get another season's use out of them by pulling them, rinsing and storing them in your garden shed for the winter.
Egg shells can be a great benefit for your garden. Rinse the shells out allow them to dry. I place them on one side of a paper towel, fold over the the other half and press until the shells are finely crushed. You could also place them in a coffee bean grinder to crush quickly into fine pieces. We keep a little glass jar in the kitchen and begin collecting our egg shells a month or so before we need them in the garden. How can they be used in the garden?
- Sprinkle them around plants that slugs and snails love. Slugs love tender new growth, French marigolds, seedlings, lettuce and delphiniums. Slugs absolutely love hostas. Snails love rhubarb and tomatoes. But slugs and snails do not like to rub their bellies across sharp eggshells. Sprinkle the crushed eggshells around the base of your plants, flowers and throughout the garden to keep them away from your seedlings and prized plants.
- Eggshells make a good soil amendment for extra calcium source. I particularly like to use them in the planting holes for our tomato plants and peppers. Blossom end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency and adding the eggshells - along with proper watering - can help prevent this problem. As the eggshells break down, they will add a little calcium nourishment to your soil. Note: the rest of the year, we throw all our used eggshells into our compost pile.
DIY Garden Caddy -- It is fairly easy to make this garden caddy with empty cans, a small piece of wood and a cabinet handle - you may not even have to cut the wood! This particular caddy used a 12" long piece of 1" thick wood. We cut it to the same height as the cans but you could easily use 1 x 6 to make this without complicated cutting. Take 8 vegetable cans, remove the labels and drill (or punch) a hole an inch or less down from the top of the can. Smooth the edges so you don't accidentally cut yourself during assembly or use and use wood screws to attach the cans to the wood. (Note - If the wood is wider than the cans are tall, set them on a flat surface and attach the cans so the bottom of the cans and the wood are in line with each other)
Attach the handle to the top edge of the wood and you have a great tool and parts caddy to help you carry what you need to work around your home and yard. Make two or three and re-cycle 24 - 32 cans. Give them as gifts to your gardener friends and they'll love your creativity and thoughtfulness.
Attach the handle to the top edge of the wood and you have a great tool and parts caddy to help you carry what you need to work around your home and yard. Make two or three and re-cycle 24 - 32 cans. Give them as gifts to your gardener friends and they'll love your creativity and thoughtfulness.
Garden Stakes - save and recycle small pipes, bamboo, old broom and mop handles which make great garden stakes to hold up you flowers and veggies.
Panty Hose - cut up old pantyhose into strips to tie up plants with a softer touch and avoiding cutting into your plants.
Plant Markers - like those metal plant markers you see in the catalogues? Here are two ideas to replicate those nifty markers. Use old household blinds by cutting them to size with an angle at the bottom so they will slip into the soil easier. Use a fine-point Sharpie or other permanent marker to write on them. Or you can use tin snips to cut up aluminum soda cans into strips and use a pencil [press hard] to write on them.
Resolve to start making changes now that will impact your garden for the future and make it more sustainable. You don't have to do everything at once. Pick 3 things to put on your Green Gardening To Do List to accomplish this season. Then put 5 more things on a long-term green gardening list to make your garden greener and more sustainable for the future.
I could sit here and think about many other easy ways to be a greener gardener, but I've decided to ask you for ideas to share. Use the Comment box below to share your ideas with our readers. Don't be Contrary now!!
Happy Green Gardening!!
