Green Tips For Your Lawn and Garden

1. Water conservation helps everyone in your city weather you live in a small town or a big city, water conservation is a good idea as well as a good lesson you can pass on to the next generation. Try not to over water your lawn, it not only wastes the water it causes problems for your lawn as well. From standing water that causes dents and hole in your yard to unwanted growth of fungus and other unwelcome soggy pests.

Here are a few tips to know weather or not you are over watering.

A. If you have moss or mushrooms growing in your yard then you are definitely over watering.

B. If you have standing water you have over watered.

2. Try to recycle when and where you can.

A. You can collect rain water to water some of your plants. Put a container under your down spouts when it rains to collect water you can even use it to water your house plants for the day. There are a lot of really cute containers on the market today to choose from.

3. Try to find others ways to do common yard jobs. We can save water in many areas. Try not to hose down your side walk and drive way when you mow. Try not use a leaf blower use a broom instead and save some energy.

4. Try to use a push mower once or twice a month if possible your tummy and thighs will thank you.

5. Compost your yard waste and use it in your flower beds. You may never have to buy potting soil again.

6. Leave your grass clipping to compost on the lawn. Grass clippings are a great way to fertilize your lawn.

7. Use flower bed space to not only plant flowers but plant your own vegetables as well. Enjoy a fresh cucumber right from your front yard. I planted a few fresh cucumbers as well as tomatoes in my front flower beds this year because we moved and I do not have the space for a large garden now. The best part about this tip is you get to enjoy homegrown vegetables that tastes so much better then store bought you will be amazed at the taste difference.  

8.Use non-toxic fertilizers and pest control in your garden and lawn. This is a great way to encourage friendly bugs like lady bugs to stick around your yard.

9.Use solar lights in your yard to save energy. I know I love to have extra lighting out in the front of my home aside from my porch lighting. There are a lot of great styles to choose from and you can pick something you really like to see every evening when you look at your yard. I have even seen some really cute lights shaped like animals, frogs, puppies and my favorite dragonflies. There are also some cute alternatives like lights shaped like a light house, a light shaped like a a globe in neon colors or even lights shaped like flowers well there are a lot of really great ideas out there. For a great effect try placing a solar light in a big planter pot with your favorite plants in it to place near your front door for extra lighting. You can even put a solar light new your favorite plant in your yard to accentuate it.

10.Place potted plants in your planter box that can be moved or easily re-potted at your convenience. This is a great way to get your younger green thumbs involved. Children of all ages love to help, you can have them plant seeds in a pot then let them choose where to set the pot to let it grow. Daily watering can be a good way to keep kids involved in an active approach to changing our environment and our ideas of food choices. That cucumber tastes so much better when you grow it yourself.

11. If you do not have time for a flower bed try making an area with rock or gravel and yard lighting and decoration. You might be surprised at some of the low and no maintenance ideas out there. There are rock gardens and statues as well as water fall ideas that take little or no effort but bring up the value of your house tramendously.

Some of you may be wondering what companion planting is, I can guarantee you that your older friends or grandparents will have a good idea of what it is. Now that people are getting a little more Eco friendly and green minded I know you will be hearing more about this idea. I use to plant a garden every year. One of the easiest ways to keep your garden low maintenance as well as healthy and beautiful is to use the idea of companion planting.

Companion planting is simply put using plants that benefit one another. Plants that offer some kind of benefit to another plant such as adding some element naturally to the soil or naturally repelling pests. Instead of talking about what plant may have what benefit I will just give you a list of what plants go great together and help one another out in some way.

My main interest for using companion planting was to have a beautiful vegetable garden and let me tell you it was completely amazing! I will use companion planting from now on no matter the size of my garden or planters. I am completely convinced that it absolutely works wonders for your plants.

Here is a simple companion planting chart for veggies:

Beans--they like celery and cucumbers but dislike onions and fennel.

Beets--Bush beans, lettuce, onions, kohlrabi, and most members of the cabbage family are companion plants. Keep the pole beans and mustard away from them.

Cabbage--Celery, dill, onions and potatoes are good companion plants They dislike strawberries, tomatoes, and pole beans.

Carrots--Leaf lettuce, radish, onions and tomatoes are their friends, Plant dill at the opposite end of the garden.

Corn--Pumpkins, peas, beans, cucumbers and potatoes are nice companion plants, Keep the tomatoes away from them.

Cucumbers--They like corn, peas, radishes, beans and sunflowers. Cucumbers dislike aromatic herbs and potatoes so keep them away.

Lettuce--It grows especially well with onions. Strawberries carrots, radishes and cucumbers also are friends and good companion plants.

Onions--Plant them near lettuce, beets, strawberries and tomatoes but keep them away from peas and beans.

Peas--Carrots, cucumbers, corn, turnips and radishes plus beans, potatoes and aromatic herbs are their friends. Keep the peas away from onions, garlic, leek, and shallots.

Radishes--This is one vegetable that has a lot of friends, they are excellent companion plants with beets, carrots, spinach and parsnips. Radishes grow well with cucumbers and beans. It's said that summer planting near leaf lettuce makes the radishes more tender. Avoid planting radishes near cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi or turnips.

Squash--Icicle radishes, cucumbers and corn are among their friends.

Tomatoes--Carrots, onions and parsley are good companion plants. Keep the cabbage and cauliflower away from them.

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