This early 19th-century mansion sits in the woods in northwest R.I. Where is it, who built it, why is he famous? (The folks in the photo are his descendants.)
As always, clicking the photo will open a much larger version in a new tab or window.
Hazard a guess in comments, then come back Sunday for the answer and more stories about our herbalist, including a 1955 Sunday Journal Garden section that led with our doctor’s garden tips.
On Twitter: @sheilalennon
Here are a few of my favorite tricks for getting a little bit closer to a garden nirvana.
Soaker hoses: Keeping up with watering can rob many hours of precious free time. An easy way to cut down on this time consuming event is to make sure your plants are getting water right where they need it by using soaker hoses. These porous hoses allow water to seep out slowly and deeply. Roots have time to absorb the moisture and there is less risk of over-watering.
Automatic timers: Simplify watering duties even more by using automatic timers. Use these in conjunction with soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems and put your watering woes on autopilot. The timers can be set to come on automatically from several times a day to once a week. Then, whether you leave home for weeks or want more carefree time in the hammock, you won’t have to worry about your plants or lawn not getting watered.
Mulch: Usually the most dreaded task in any garden is the weeding. One simple solution to cutting down on the amount of weeds your garden will have is to use mulch. A three-inch layer will block the sunlight most weed seeds need to germinate. The added benefit of mulch is that it keeps your soil cooler, cuts down on moisture loss and helps suppress disease. It even looks great and really shows off the plants.
A garden mailbox: Even the most organized gardeners find themselves running back to the shed or garage for that must-have tool for the job at hand. Placing a mailbox or similar storage box in the garden can eliminate those unnecessary trips back to the tool shed. Fill the mailbox with your most important small tools and you’ll always have them close at hand. Consider adding a trowel, plant labels, waterproof pen, twine, scissors, pruners, insect spray and bottled water. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference.
Plants To Plant
When it comes to high-impact, low-maintenance plants, here are three of my favorites. Just keep in mind, even the least demanding plants deserve our attention every now and then.
Knock Out roses: This is the un-fussy rose. If you’ve been intimidated by growing roses in the past or are tired of the work necessary to keep them disease and pest-free, this is the rose for you. Knockout roses are prolific bloomers and are very resistant to black spot and mildew problems typical of so many other roses. Provide full sun and well-drained soil and this rose will reward you with months of carefree beauty.
Daylilies: They’re so easy, you can practically lay a daylily on the ground and watch it grow. Daylilies are beautiful and deer resistant with thousands of varieties in a rainbow of colors. They bloom all summer and return the next year thicker and fuller than before. The only work you’ll have to do is to divide them every 3 to 5 years.
Hostas: If you’re looking for a showstopper for the shade garden, hostas are it. From miniature to massive, these plants known for their bold foliage are available in thousands of varieties. Hostas offer many shades of green, from lemon-lime to blue-green and every shade in between. The bonus with this easy care plant is that some are highly fragrant and all do well in containers. Unfortunately deer resistance is not one of its strengths.
Joe Lamp’l is the host and executive producer of “Growing a Greener World” on national public television, and the founder of The joe gardener Company, devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and sustainable outdoor living.
At this time of year, many homeowners are asking about crabgrass control and basic lawn care. Is it too late to apply crabgrass preventer? When should I fertilize? How often should I be irrigating?
First, determine if the offending grass is truly crabgrass? Many homeowners think they have a crabgrass problem, but what they actually have is a Bermuda grass problem.
Crabgrass is an annual that comes up from seed each year and dies with frost in the fall. Bermuda grass is a perennial that comes back from its tough, wiry trailing stems and rhizomes (underground stems) each year. Its leaves are blue-gray in color, where crabgrass leaves are green. While not similar in appearance, these two grasses often are confused with each other because they have similar seed heads.
Best management practices for a healthy lawn: Your first line of defense against crabgrass should be encouraging healthy, dense turf using good cultural practices. This includes mowing, fertilizing and irrigating properly. Mow bluegrass and bluegrass-mix lawns to a recommended height of 2 to 2.5 inches. A dense, tall turf shades germinating crabgrass seedlings and deters their growth.
Equally important in controlling crabgrass is fertilizing at the correct times of the year to promote root and side growth (called tillering) instead of top growth. The most important time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall. Washington State University recommends making a fertilizer application in early September and again after the last mowing (around mid-November) but before the soil freezes. If you apply fertilizer in the fall, wait until early May to fertilize again. Fertilizing earlier in the spring encourages top growth at the expense of root and side growth, resulting in weaker turf and more frequent mowing. The best times to fertilize lawns in our region are: Nov. 15, May 1, June 15 and Sept. 1, applying 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn area.
When irrigating lawns, the tendency in our region is to water daily starting early in the season for 15 minutes each day. This daily, light irrigation leads to weaker, shallow-rooted, thin turf and makes it easy for crabgrass to germinate and grow. You will have to water more frequently during the hottest part of summer, but during the relatively cool weather of spring and fall you should not be watering daily. Adjust your timers to water less frequently but more deeply to promote deeper grass roots.
Chemical crabgrass control: There are a number of home garden products often called crabgrass preventers that contain herbicides that are applied in the spring before crabgrass seeds germinate to prevent them from sprouting and growing. The general time to apply these products is when the soil temperature reaches about 62 degrees at a depth of 1 to 2 inches or about two weeks after forsythia blooms start to drop.
There are also some home garden products (containing dithiopyr or fenoxaprop) that will kill young crabgrass seedlings after the seeds germinate, although their effectiveness is not as reliable as good turf management and the use of preventer products.
— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.
Published 7:00am Thursday, April 17, 2014
By Eddie Smith
Guest Columnist
Plant Shopping Tips
Garden centers and nurseries are full of plants right now. And hopefully, the weather is settling down a bit after the recent storms.
It is time to get out and purchase some new plants for your yard and garden. With that in mind, here are some plant shopping tips to assist with your selections.
Smart Shopping for Annuals
These are purchased for fast growing, long lasting flowers or foliage. It is important to select healthy plants that have bushy growth that fills the pot. Foliage should be an even green color without obvious disease spots or insect damage.
Even though it is tempting to purchase a plant in flower, in many cases, this should be avoided. A plant in flower, in some cases, has been fed a high nitrogen fertilizer to spur rapid growth and development—this can result in a plant that is a heavy feeder.
When these plants are transplanted into the garden and their high-maintenance diet is not maintained they can quickly lose vigor.
Look for plants that are just beginning to flower or are in bud. Sometimes plants are flowering because they have been in the pot too long and are too mature and leggy. These should be avoided, or if purchases, should be cut back to encourage densely branched new growth. Examples of these are verbena, marigold, salvia, and celosia. Continue pinching these plants to get that bushy plant with many flowering stems. Annuals like petunia and impatiens rarely have to be pinched to get bushy growth.
Smart Shopping for Perennials
These are purchased for their longevity in the garden and their season of attractiveness, whether that is foliage color or blooms.
Since these plants will be residing in your garden for years to come, selection of well-rooted plants with a good rosette of healthy foliage is important. Most perennials will not be flowering in the pot so you should be familiar with the mature height, width, bloom color and other characteristics of the plant before you make your selection.
Sometimes, this is all on the label, but it is a good idea to talk to the nurseryman or garden center help if you have questions about the performance or hardiness of these plants.
It is important to inspect the roots of perennial plants you are planning on buying. You may ask for permission to pop the plant out of the pot to examine the roots, or ask and employee to do it for you.
The roots should be a light tan or off white color and be plentiful, but not circling the root ball in a tight mat—this indicates the plant has been held to long in the pot and is pot bound. If you purchase a pot bound plant, before you plant, cut away the circling roots and tease the root ball apart to encourage growth of the new roots outward.
An overnight freeze in late spring brought with it freezing rain and light snowfall. (Reece Alvarez)
Despite Tuesday night’s snow and frozen rain, spring has been on the books for three weeks, and Lewisboro residents can take advantage of this cold start to the season and begin their gardens right on time with a variety of tips from local garden centers. Whether you’re a veteran planter or a beginner in the back yard, advice about edible, sustainable gardening can help you get started this spring.
From the ground up
“The basic thing is that you want good soil; everything starts with good soil,” said Melissa Candela, manager of Gossett Brothers Nursery in South Salem.
Self-evident as that may be, it is often a pitfall for many first-time gardeners — soil quality is the most important aspect of any garden and the top recommendation from professional gardeners around Lewisboro. Vegetable and fruit plants in particular are nutrient-hungry crops, and come with a variety of preferences for soil composition, location and sunlight.
“To create good soil you want to add compost,” Ms. Candela said. “Food crops are very heavy feeders; they need very rich soil that has to be replenished each year.”
James Grant, owner of the Lewisboro Garden Center Inc. in Vista — Lewisboro’s oldest garden center, running for 38 years, according to him — had just one recommendation when it came to soil — Coast of Maine. The authentic organic soil company produces a wide variety of strictly controlled, top-quality soils that Mr. Grant said he stands by wholeheartedly.
The general consensus among local garden centers is that the low temperatures and late frosts have set the early growing season back by two weeks, leaving plenty of time for the procrastinating
hobbyist to get started with cold weather crops.
“We are a little bit late this ear,” Ms. Candela said. “Everything is a little bit late because March was one of the coldest in recent memory. Normally they tell you to put peas in St. Patrick’s Day; this year it was absolutely not possible to do that.”
For those who jumped at the first sign of spring to plant seeds and seedlings and have sprouted lettuces, for example, Ms. Candela said they can still be protected from the cold nights by lightly covering the plants with secured newspaper or other covering to insulate plants from the cold.
Crops and seasons
“For the early crops, the ones you could plant with chance of frost are cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards — anything that is a root vegetable like beets, onions, and you start now,” said Yolie Zeller of Evergreen Nurseries Florist in Katonah.
These crops do not like the heat and also take a long time to grow, with harvesting occurring at the end of the summer, in August and September, she said.
Tomatoes, one of the most popular crops, can also be tricky for first-time gardeners eager to seed their gardens. Tomatoes, like peppers, eggplant, string beans, and most herbs, should be planted after Mother’s Day, as there is less chance of frost, and these plants are sensitive to cold, Ms. Zeller said.
Mr. Grant noted that tomato growers are often eager to get ahead of the season and plant early, not knowing that a plant grown in fewer months under better weather will outperform a plant grown longer that experienced the early cold of spring.
Many plants come with preferences for sunlight, moisture and soil composition, and some even produce better when planted alongside certain crops, Ms. Candela said.
She recommends books like Square Foot Gardening and Carrots Love Tomatoes as good reference points, but adds that there is no teacher like experience.
“I think honestly in this case experience is the most important thing,” she said. “The rule of thumb is if you eat them together you can plant them together.”
Ms. Candela added for perspective that she herself is a self-taught gardener and former English professor who jumped the academic ship to work full-time at Gossett’s.
Quoting Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer, Ms. Candela said the key is to think like a plant.
“Where do cactus grow? They grow in the desert, so we are going to think about the conditions it likes and we are going to treat it that way,” she said.
Design and care
For some, the increased interest in growing locally produced, sustainable and organic foods is a luxury that has little connection to the time-strapped and largely well-off residents of the suburbs, but for Jennifer Cipriano, co-owner of Copia Home and Garden in Vista, it is anything but a flash in the pan, she said.
“A lot of people think it is just a fad or a trend — I don’t think so. The more people are reading about what goes on in their food and they are more concerned about their health, I think it is actually going to continue,” she said. “It is more than just a fad.”
Ms. Cipriano draws on her roots as a Cornell University graduate, and recommends that any new gardener take advantage of the affordable soil tests and support offered by the Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CUCE), which seeks to promote responsible agricultural land use throughout the state.
“They are wonderful. They keep track of the growing degree days, and they can guide you as to what they are seeing in terms of the weather and temperature,” she said. “We will send people there if they want to know what their soil is like, what their pH is and what their nutrient values are in the soil.”
Ms. Cipriano emphasized that for $10 anyone can send CUCE a soil sample which will come back with a thorough analysis and recommendation for improving soil quality.
“It is a great resource and everybody should know about it,” she said.
As with all of the garden centers in town, Ms. Cipriano recommended raised beds for beginners, as that means easier control over the soil quality, as well as starting with seedlings as opposed to seed.
Ms. Candela of Gossett’s added that raised beds are also significantly easier on a gardener’s backs for weeding and reducing pests.
Copia Home and Garden offers a variety of different breeds of chickens, which not only regularly produce eggs, but also make for great pets for children and adults alike, Ms. Cipriano said. (Reece Alvarez)
Both gardeners recommend weeding by hand and avoiding chemical weed killers at all costs. Ms. Candela warned that weeding is also a practice of vigilance, and that gardeners must not allow weeds to propagate, as they will quickly get out of hand.
From posh estate owners to backyard hobbyists, Ms. Cipriano has seen a burgeoning interest in edible gardening and
homesteading, particularly the raising of chickens for eggs, she said.
“Homesteading is a big thing. I think people are trying to get back to the basics,” she said. “They want to know what’s in their food.”
Both Copia and Gossett’s recently held demonstrations about backyard chicken raising, with Copia selling chicks and adolescent chickens right from its store.
“It is a perfect cycle,” Ms. Candela said. “You grow your vegetables, the trimmings go to the chickens, they make the eggs, produce manure, and it goes back in the garden. It is the essence of sustainable living.”
Last weekend, I took on the project of pruning my roses, nicknaming myself “Marianne the Merciless.” I showed no mercy to my roses that had not been pruned correctly for several years because I had negligently waited too long each spring to get in there and get the job done right.
I pulled on my rose gauntlet gloves, picked up my sharpened loppers and hand pruners, and went to work. It was not an easy task. Roses grow terrifically well in our region, and mine had grown to a height of almost 6 feet last year. When I was done, I had mountains of rose prunings and bushes that hopefully will perform better this summer.
Satisfied with a job well done, I was amazed that I did not look like I had tangled with a vicious animal. I wore long sleeves and my new rose gauntlet gloves. The glove hands are made of leather and the “gauntlet” cuffs are made of canvas that reaches almost to my elbows. They kept my hands and arms free of pokes and scratches.
I purchased my pair at a local garden store, but they can also be ordered online. If you have a lot of roses or raspberries, you should consider investing in a pair of all-leather rose gauntlet gloves.
My new gloves were stiff when I started and a little tight. If you purchase a quality pair of gauntlet gloves, make sure they are the right size for your hands. Many of the companies selling quality rose gloves have size charts to guide you.
The other thing that made my job easier was having sharp pruning tools. It is difficult to cut out thick, woody old canes with dull loppers. If you know how to sharpen your tools, do it before taking on your spring pruning chores.
Rich Redekopp, one of our Master Gardener rose experts, told me about another pruning tool for taking out tough old dead wood or thick canes. Redekopp recommends the cordless Milwaukee Hackzall Reciprocating Saw fitted with a pruning blade. He pruned some roses outside our office and his saw made quick work of the gnarly old dead growth in these neglected roses.
Roses are forgiving. You can prune them incorrectly (or not at all), and they will still produce beautiful blooms. However, with correct pruning, your shrubs will not grow out of control, and the rose blooms will be bigger.
Helen Newman, Master Gardener rose expert and Tri-Cities Rosarian, notes that your goals are to remove the “dead, diseased, damaged and dinky” canes. Experts call them the four “Ds” of pruning roses. You should also remove shoots that are old and gnarled, growing in the center of the shrubs or crisscrossing each other.
— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.
SUMMER GARDENING IN THE VALLEY
Right after grabbing a cup of coffee; I make rounds in my newly established backyard garden to kick-off my day. It is a warm and pleasant sunny day here in the valley, the sun said: Hello! It’s summer time.
Proper crop management in the garden is required, especially this summer season. Here are few tips in taking good care of your backyard garden this summer.
LAND PREPARATION
During summer season, minimum tillage is more efficient than using the raised-bed technique in land preparation. Minimum tillage is a technique in soil cultivation that selects specific area to work with; cultivation is being done only to the immediate portion where the plant will be planted. This is usually done in cucurbits like squash, cucumber among others.
Compared to the “raised-bed”, minimum tillage technique does not necessarily require plots or beds, though some crops are more efficient in bed. Minimum tillage is suited for summer since water logging or flooding is not an issue during this season.
Lastly, with the burning heat of the sun during summer, field operation is expected to be less favorable, making the minimum tillage more efficient than raised-bed.
MULCHING
Mulching is the process of placing a material or mulch to add another layer above the soil surface. Mulching aims to primarily protect the soil surface and the crop.
There are two major types of mulches based on its material classification: synthetic and organic. Synthetic mulches are materials that are readily available from industries, the common types of mulches available are: transparent plastic and polyethylene (i.e. black garbage bag). While organic mulch includes dried leaves, weeds, branches, saw-dust, and the likes.
Application of mulch during summer primarily conserves soil moisture; it serves as an insulator by blocking the sun’s radiation to directly hit the soil surface. Thus lessens the evaporation rate of the surrounding air and consequently lessens the transpiration rate of the plant.
The use of leaves such as “madre de cacao” or “kakawate” as mulch being known to contain good amount of Nitrogen, in effect it also serves as fertilizer in the soil. Any other organic material used as mulch, improves the soil profile.
Efficient application of mulch is done near the crop but not in contact with it.
WATERING
Water in plant growth and development is very important. Since rainy days are over, watering the plant regularly is a must. The warm and dry air of summer can cause artificial and permanent witling to the plants thus causing severe damage and even death.
It is highly encouraged to water the crops on a daily basis; morning or afternoon. Though there are times that watering the crops twice a day is necessary.
Though crop water requirement varies from one crop to another, but, as a rule of thumb, careful observation on the soil moisture can be a good determinant to whether to water the garden or not.
Leo XL Fuentes is a backyard gardener in Compostela Valley that advocates organic agriculture. He earned his degree in Agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los Banos.
Every day that I’m not on the road, I look out my office window toward the garden, and walk the property at least once or twice. My mind never stops turning with all the projects and to-dos I see for my landscape. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
My dream is to someday experience the term coined a few years back – “staycation.” The concept applies to the notion of staying home in an environment that is so pleasant, you feel like you’re on vacation. In theory, I love the idea. But in reality, it’s another story. Fortunately, for the lawn and garden, there are some pretty helpful ideas along with a number of undemanding plants that can get us a few steps closer to a truly relaxing staycation in our own little corner of the world.
TIPS AND TRICKS
These are a few of my favorite tricks for getting a little bit closer to nirvana.
– Soaker hoses: Keeping up with watering can rob many hours of precious free time. An easy way to cut down on this time consuming event is to make sure your plants are getting water right where they need it by using soaker hoses. These porous hoses allow water to seep out slowly and deeply. Roots have time to absorb the moisture and there is less risk of over-watering.
– Automatic timers: Simplify watering duties even more by using automatic timers. Use these in conjunction with soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems and put your watering woes on autopilot. The timers can be set to come on automatically from several times a day to once a week. Then, whether you leave home for weeks or want more carefree time in the hammock, you won’t have to worry about your plants or lawn not getting watered.
– Mulch: Usually the most dreaded task in any garden is the weeding. One simple solution to cutting down on the amount of weeds your garden will have is to use mulch. A three-inch layer will block the sunlight most weed seeds need to germinate. The added benefit of mulch is that it keeps your soil cooler, cuts down on moisture loss and helps suppress disease. It even looks great and really shows off the plants.
– A garden mailbox: Even the most organized gardeners find themselves running back to the shed or garage for that must-have tool for the job at hand. Placing a mailbox or similar storage box in the garden can eliminate those unnecessary trips back to the tool shed. Fill the mailbox with your most important small tools and you’ll always have them close at hand. Consider adding a trowel, plant labels, waterproof pen, twine, scissors, pruners, insect spray and bottled water. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference.
PLANTS TO PLANT
When it comes to high-impact, low-maintenance plants, here are three of my favorites. Just keep in mind, even the least demanding plants deserve our attention every now and then.
– Knock Out roses: This is the un-fussy rose. If you’ve been intimidated by growing roses in the past or are tired of the work necessary to keep them disease and pest-free, this is the rose for you. Knockout roses are prolific bloomers and are very resistant to black spot and mildew problems typical of so many other roses. Provide full sun and well-drained soil and this rose will reward you with months of carefree beauty.
– Daylilies: They’re so easy, you can practically lay a daylily on the ground and watch it grow. Daylilies are beautiful and deer resistant with thousands of varieties in a rainbow of colors. They bloom all summer and return the next year thicker and fuller than before. The only work you’ll have to do is to divide them every 3 to 5 years.
– Hostas: If you’re looking for a showstopper for the shade garden, hostas are it. From miniature to massive, these plants known for their bold foliage are available in thousands of varieties. Hostas offer many shades of green, from lemon-lime to blue-green and every shade in between. The bonus with this easy care plant is that some are highly fragrant and all do well in containers. Unfortunately deer resistance is not one of its strengths.
Joe Lamp’l is the host and executive producer of Growing a Greener World on national public television, and the founder of The joe gardener� Company, devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and sustainable outdoor living.
Every day that I’m not on the road, I look out my office window toward the garden, and walk the property at least once or twice. My mind never stops turning with all the projects and to-dos I see for my landscape. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
My dream is to someday experience the term coined a few years back – “staycation.” The concept applies to the notion of staying home in an environment that is so pleasant, you feel like you’re on vacation. In theory, I love the idea. But in reality, it’s another story. Fortunately, for the lawn and garden, there are some pretty helpful ideas along with a number of undemanding plants that can get us a few steps closer to a truly relaxing staycation in our own little corner of the world.
TIPS AND TRICKS
These are a few of my favorite tricks for getting a little bit closer to nirvana.
– Soaker hoses: Keeping up with watering can rob many hours of precious free time. An easy way to cut down on this time consuming event is to make sure your plants are getting water right where they need it by using soaker hoses. These porous hoses allow water to seep out slowly and deeply. Roots have time to absorb the moisture and there is less risk of over-watering.
– Automatic timers: Simplify watering duties even more by using automatic timers. Use these in conjunction with soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems and put your watering woes on autopilot. The timers can be set to come on automatically from several times a day to once a week. Then, whether you leave home for weeks or want more carefree time in the hammock, you won’t have to worry about your plants or lawn not getting watered.
– Mulch: Usually the most dreaded task in any garden is the weeding. One simple solution to cutting down on the amount of weeds your garden will have is to use mulch. A three-inch layer will block the sunlight most weed seeds need to germinate. The added benefit of mulch is that it keeps your soil cooler, cuts down on moisture loss and helps suppress disease. It even looks great and really shows off the plants.
– A garden mailbox: Even the most organized gardeners find themselves running back to the shed or garage for that must-have tool for the job at hand. Placing a mailbox or similar storage box in the garden can eliminate those unnecessary trips back to the tool shed. Fill the mailbox with your most important small tools and you’ll always have them close at hand. Consider adding a trowel, plant labels, waterproof pen, twine, scissors, pruners, insect spray and bottled water. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference.
PLANTS TO PLANT
When it comes to high-impact, low-maintenance plants, here are three of my favorites. Just keep in mind, even the least demanding plants deserve our attention every now and then.
– Knock Out roses: This is the un-fussy rose. If you’ve been intimidated by growing roses in the past or are tired of the work necessary to keep them disease and pest-free, this is the rose for you. Knockout roses are prolific bloomers and are very resistant to black spot and mildew problems typical of so many other roses. Provide full sun and well-drained soil and this rose will reward you with months of carefree beauty.
– Daylilies: They’re so easy, you can practically lay a daylily on the ground and watch it grow. Daylilies are beautiful and deer resistant with thousands of varieties in a rainbow of colors. They bloom all summer and return the next year thicker and fuller than before. The only work you’ll have to do is to divide them every 3 to 5 years.
– Hostas: If you’re looking for a showstopper for the shade garden, hostas are it. From miniature to massive, these plants known for their bold foliage are available in thousands of varieties. Hostas offer many shades of green, from lemon-lime to blue-green and every shade in between. The bonus with this easy care plant is that some are highly fragrant and all do well in containers. Unfortunately deer resistance is not one of its strengths.
Joe Lamp’l is the host and executive producer of Growing a Greener World on national public television, and the founder of The joe gardener� Company, devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and sustainable outdoor living.
Going green at home doesn’t have to turn your life upside down. There are simple measures you can take in your kitchen and garden to run a planet-friendly home.
Reduce Waste
Ensure your kitchen is properly outfitted with labeled paper and plastic recycling bins. Keep these receptacles handy to encourage your family and guests to make use of them.
Take your waste reduction a step further by setting up a bin for food scraps, which you can add to your yard trimmings. Composting creates a natural fertilizer that’s makes a planet-friendly alternative to the chemical variety.
By recycling and composting, you can join the ranks of Americans reducing the waste they send to the landfill. In fact, recycling and composting prevented 86.9 million tons of materials from being disposed in 2011 in the United States, up from 15 million tons in 1980, according to government estimates.
Protect Wildlife
You may think of your yard as “yours,” but you are actually sharing the space with furry creatures, insects and birds. Habitat destruction and loss, as well other manmade and natural threats, put beautiful species like humming birds at risk. Make your garden a safe haven with bird feeders and by planting native, sustentative shrubs, trees and flowers.
Unfortunately, bird to building collisions, particularly with windows, are estimated to kill between 100 million and 1 billion birds in the United States alone, according to a new report from the Cooper Ornithological Society.
Ensure the safety of your airborne visitors by applying static-cling decals to your windows, which helps birds detect glass, thereby avoiding injury or death. Decals from WindowAlert, for example, rely on special ultraviolet-reflecting coating that looks like etched glass to humans, but is quite visible to birds, and add a decorative appearance to your home.
The coating can fade over time, so remember to replace decals every six to nine months. More information can be found at www.WindowAlert.com.
Eat Local
Source your food locally to reduce your carbon footprint. If possible, buy local, in-season fruits and vegetables that didn’t have to travel the world to reach your plate.
And while flowers are beautiful to look at — and the right ones can provide nectar for pollinating insects and birds — consider turning at least part of your garden into a space for herbs and vegetables to grow. When dinner comes from your own back yard, it means fresher produce that’s good for your family, and good for the planet.
Don’t just enjoy nature this season, take care of it. With a few small tweaks, it isn’t hard to run your home more sustainably.