It’s one thing to live a green lifestyle and another to promote one. If you buy organic foods, drive a hybrid, and turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth, then why not bring your conservation habits into the garden? Yes, we know that growing your own food is energy efficient in itself; however, there is plenty you can do to make your garden just a little “greener.”
Rain Barrels – First of all, stop wasting city or well water in your garden. Not that feeding your plants the same water you drink is a waste; however, feeding them unfiltered, untreated rain water is better for the environment and cheaper on your wallet. In fact, plants prefer raw rainwater over the filtered stuff we drink. To save energy, water, and money, why not set up a rain barrel in your backyard? All you have to do is hook a hose up to your gutter system, collect the water, and then use it to water your garden. It’s cheap to build, simple to use, and you’ll notice a significant savings on you water bill almost immediately.
Compost – It’s easy to swing by the garden store and grab a bag of compost. It’s also costly, and you never know if the company manufacturing said compost has green initiatives. It’s also easy to toss old food and scraps down the garbage disposal or into the dumpster. It’s also wasteful. In order to be less wasteful and to save money on compost, build your own. All you need is a pit or bucket and organic material. Save leftover food and scraps and add them to dirt, leaves, and grass cuttings, and you’ll have a healthy compost pile in no time.
Sprinkler System – If you’re using a sprinkler system, we challenge you to monitor your sprinkler habits to see how much water you’re wasting. Any sight of runoff is a sure sign that you’re leaving your system on too long, and water hitting the house is just plain wasteful. Take the time to re-align your sprinkler so that it’s not watering the driveway, and invest into a system timer, so that you’re not overwatering and wasting energy.