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Blades of Grass: Powerful Changes For Your Garden by Sally Perkins

Contact Sally


It’s well-known that incremental small changes can lead to much bigger things. This same principle can be applied to your garden and creating environmental change. Naysayers will often suggest that it’s big government and institutions that need to change. However, it’s well worth making changes in your habits.
 
There are a few easily implemented and often cheap methods that you can use to get your garden up and running as an environmentally aware, planet friendly resource. To boot, you can foster local relations - green gardens unite communities in an excellent manner.
 
Renewable Fuel
 
Chemical-laden fertilizers and pesticides are now increasingly products for a gone era. Instead, sustainable homes are turning to compost, produced from garden and household waste (which is often in plentiful supply). Compost will help to sustainably produce the next generation of plants and can act as a ground-soil heatsource, encouraging growth at night or in winter months.
 
Composters come in many shapes and sizes and you can produce your own from simply making a garden waste heap in a convenient area. Place onto it any garden debris and whatever you have in your kitchen bins. Many items make good compost, including foodstuffs. As a rule of thumb, put materials in that you know to be biodegradable - things like meat cannot be composted.
 
Water Efficiency
 
Water storage is expanded on in good detail on this website. Bearing in that mind, consider your garden’s water efficiency. Large areas of impermeable or non-porous surfaces and substrates can impede the ability of the ground to absorb water. Accordingly, during heavy rains you’re more likely to see flooding. This is where cumulative effects come in. As we saw, tragically, in Houston, increased urban areas exacerbated flooding.
 
This also affects the plant life in your area, making the general ecosystem less rich with water. In short - reduce your impermeable areas and replace them with plants and soft substrates. Trees also act as a natural reservoir and help the ecosystem.
 
Hand-Pick Your Species
 
Bees are facing a bit of a crisis in the USA due to over farming of non-diverse honey and the use of pesticides. Luckily, scientists are helping bee populations and big industry is recognizing the value of the insects once again. There is certainly still a place for you to craft a garden that attracts bees and insects, however, and science has demonstrated just how important small creatures are to well balanced ecosystems.
 
You can do your bit by consuming eco-friendly food, but for your garden, research those plant types that will attract wildlife and make a conscious effort to incorporate them in your design.
 
A drop of water doesn’t bother anyone, but millions make a flood. You can effect real change from the canvas of your very own garden. If you can, many others can, too, creating pro-environmental change in your area.

Please contact me with questions and comments.