Making Our Gardens Greener

Spring is here and summer is on the way, making this a great time to get started on this year's gardening plans. Making your garden more eco-friendly should be a primary goal to help not only the environment but your own backyard. Keeping things environmentally friendly is probably much easier than you think. Just follow these easy tips for a greener gardening experience.

• Garden for the area you live in. Using plants that naturally grow wherever you live helps to make your garden much more manageable. These plants usually don’t require too much extra watering, and can deal with the pests naturally found in that environment without the help of pesticides. These plants are also very easy to maintain.

• Use less water. Using less water is especially important during the hot summer months, and there are several things that can be done to lessen the amount of water used on your garden. To begin with, water your plants in the morning hours. This helps to keep the water from evaporating before it can seep into the plants. Hoses and nozzles should also be checked periodically to make sure that they are not leaking. Another great way to save water is to invest in a rain barrel or two and use that water to keep plants watered on dry days.

• Use recycled or recyclable containers for your plants. If using old containers and jars isn’t appealing, consider buying pots made from recycled materials.

• Grow your own herbs and veggies. With the price of food on the rise and the price of organic foods beyond the reach of many, growing your own food is a great way to cut costs and get good organic foods. Even if you don’t have much space many veggies can be grown in containers.

• Fight pests with bugs rather than chemicals. The amount of pesticides and chemicals used on crops in the United States is staggering and can have serious effects on the environment. Instead of using potentially harmful chemicals, get insects that eat harmful insects. There are also a lot of natural bug sprays you can make at home.

• Recycle any yard waste. Many communities offer free pick up of yard waste so that it doesn't end up in a landfill. If that is not available to you consider starting your own composting pile.