GARDENING – WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AND HELP THE EARTH

Gardening at home is a great way to improve the overall look of the yard, provide food for your family, cut bills and help to save the environment. It may sound like a tall order to be able to achieve all of this, but it certainly can be done.

Plan Things Out

When first starting to garden, it is often suggested that you start with a very small and simple area. This may work in some instances, but it is usually best to create a large-scale plan that includes all areas of the property. This does not mean that everything needs to be done in the first planting season, but it will give you a roadmap of the overall work that you would like to accomplish. This also eliminates the possibility of having to move shrubs and plants more than once because they are not in the desired location.

More Than Tomatoes and Green Beans

Gardening should include the entire property and not just the vegetables that are planted. When it comes to the area that is currently occupied by grass, consider changing some of this to appropriate groundcover. This is easier to maintain, requires less work and saves time and money since less of an area will need to be mowed.When mowing does need to be done, consider purchasing and using a manual lawnmower. This will cut down on emissions that are harmful to the environment, require less maintenance and can save you significant money over the life of the mower.

Water Collection

To successfully keep a garden looking great and producing beautiful flowers and delicious food, frequent and appropriate watering is essential. Watering on a daily basis can prove to be costly and in times of drought, there may be water restrictions where you will not be allowed to water the garden. Water collection barrels and watering systems can be installed to collect and distribute the natural rainwater. This will certainly save time and money and will conserve natural resources.

A Compost Bin

Composting is the process of taking various food items and organic material and allowing it to decompose, so that it can be used as nutrient rich food for the garden. Soil and fertilizer can prove to be costly, so using the food scraps that you are already creating can help to make great compost at a fraction of the cost. A compost bin does not need to be a large container. It simply needs to be large enough to appropriately handle and process the food waste that your family is producing.

The Right Plants for the Environment

A common mistake of many gardeners would be trying to plant things that will not survive appropriately in the particular environment. Choosing native plants is usually best since these are suited to the area and usually readily available and priced reasonably.For arid environments or places where there are quick cold snaps and climate changes, xeriscaping may be the best option. This is when things are planted that need limited watering and irrigation.The work that you need to put into the garden will certainly be worth it when you are having a family meal and enjoying the fresh vegetables from your garden. With a small amount of planning, you can save moneyand be more environmentally friendly through gardening.About the author
Terry Harmon is landscape consultant and works with home flippers regularly.  He finds that investors using semi dump trucks make quick work of hauling in and removing materials from the renovations. If you’re interested in the landscape business, you may want to just purchase your own truck, rather than paying for rentals, and Terry suggests checking out the  trucks for sale here for seller and buyer listings within the trucker community.

2 thoughts on “GARDENING – WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AND HELP THE EARTH”

Comments are closed.