By Robert Grigg & Benjamin Forcier
As temperatures rise and springtime ushers in nature’s beauty, the garden is calling out to you. Putting in a little bit of hard work and time can result in having one’s own personal grocery store right outside-or possibly even inside- their home. The yard is also beckoning for some love as well, now that it’s finally growing again. However, with the increase of yard work and gardening comes an increase in related waste. Let’s explore some methods to keep the yeardwork eco-friendly, reduce waste, and promote healthy plants & animals.
- Choosing to plant flora that is native to your area attracts wildlife like birds and butterflies, and since they are used to the local climate;they reduce the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and extra watering.
- Trimming only the top third of your grass (lowers strain on regrowth ensures that deep, healthy roots can grow, reducing the need for fertilizer and trimmings acquired via mowing)
- Using organic mulch like wood chips, bark, leaves, and pine needles can help limit the growth of weeds in flower beds and retains the temperature and moisture of soil. Substituting grass sections of your lawn for mulch can greatly reduce water usage and make maintenance easier.
- While mowing the lawn: compost or leave grass clippings in your yard as they will help keep it moist and healthy
And whether you’re doing yard or garden work, composting is a great help as well:
- Large portion of current landfill items are entirely compostable
- Provides free, or next to free, fertilizer for garden or lawn
- Makes use of scraps from both the tabletop and from yard or garden work
While we at Vixster strive to provide a quality, flexible service picking up your trash and recycling, we also hope that our customers or other readers use sustainable tactics to lower the amount of trash they ever need to throw away. For more information on lawn care, gardening, or landscaping, please visit http://ucanr.edu/ or feel free to look up information on your own.