What Happens When You Let a Gardener Into Your Yard...

mvalenti — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:18:08 GMT

My boyfriend and I recently went on an extended vacation leaving his mom at our house to take care of the dogs. With 40 years of gardening experience~~personal and professional~~under her belt she set out to make some changes in our yard.

First she uncovered a few withering artichoke plants that now produce more artichokes than we can eat. (Tip: She hit up all the coffee shops in town to collect their coffee grounds for use as fertilizer).

Next she planted a few vegetables and herbs that we are super excited about including basil, parsley, arugula, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic, mint, dill and several tomato plants.

Finally, she started a compost pile for us in the side yard. All she did was take a pile of weeds from the yard (of which there were plenty), mixed the yard scraps with some food waste from the kitchen, hosed the pile down and let it do its thing.

Here's how it works:

Take any once-living substance, throw it on the pile of yard scraps, cover it with more weeds and the whole mess turns into a pile of organic soil that can be used for gardening. The best part is that you can compost things you would never even think of like hair, dryer lint, coffee filters, fireplace ashes and eggshells. You can even compost cotton rags.

We have always been conscious of how much we throw away but I had no idea that so much of what we did toss out could be recycled in our own yard. I have to say it feels great to see our small stack of trash, next to the large pile of compost, and know that we are reducing our impact on the landfills.

For more information on how to start you own compost pile visit:

http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm

or check out

http://vegweb.com/composting/

Vegetable Gardens: Great for the World (and Your Wallet)

RyanActive — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:12:15 GMT

It started off innocently enough--I just wanted a low-maintenance hobby.

What came of it was intense design plans on graph paper, hours of tilling our rock-hard dirt in the back yard, the purchase of several 2x6 boards, screwing them together with corner joints, and hauling in two truckloads of topsoil--sweating profusely in the process and wishing more than once that I was in front of the television with a cold beer.

But you know what? It was worth it.

My wife and I started a raised vegetable garden this year, in part because of the desire to cut grocery costs, in part to positively impact the environment but initially because I wanted something rewarding to occupy my free time. Something that shows daily progress.

Vegetable gardens are the Earth-friendly, cost-friendly craze of 2009. Gardens are popping up everywhere, with all kind of vegetables from tomatoes to carrots to jalepeno peppers being planted.

As this article points out, eating local food is a statement that you're not interested in contributing to the carbon emissions that transporting food requires. And you can't get much more local than your own yard.

With the cold weather behind us for a while (we hope), now's the time for most of the country to get planting if you haven't already. Here in California, we were able to plant weeks ago. Along with three tomato plants, we planted broccoli, strawberries, potatoes, green onions, chives and various herbs. We've also had a couple of plants fizzle out almost immediately. Oh well. We're rookies. We'll figure it out soon enough.

There are lots of little things to remember, which this article in Newsday touches on in good detail. Some things won't work (like our zucchini) but like anything, you get better the more experience you pick up.

Soon enough, when you eat your first home-grown tomato or bell pepper, you'll realize just how awesome a vegetable garden is--to both you and the planet.

Blog Posts From Protect Your Playground Tagged With garden

What Happens When You Let a Gardener Into Your Yard...

Vegetable Gardens: Great for the World (and Your Wallet)